The ABC'S of Love
by PurimPopoie
Summary: On their way to Snowbelle City, Ash and his friends must come to grips with situations that force them to reexamine their bonds. Who is the enigmatic Calem, and what is his connection to Serena and why does he seem so driven to separate our four heroes? The answers may lie in the past, connecting Ash and Serena in a way they hadn't realized as a secret threat looms. Amourshipping.
1. A Bridge to Separation!

**Hello there, and welcome to this new story! I've had this idea in the works for a while, and I hope you enjoy this story! I've had some help from some great friends to proofread and comment on it, and I've got lots of plans ahead! But for now, let's get to it!**

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 **Pokémon XY &Z: The ABC's of Love**

 **Chapter 1: A Bridge to Separation! A Bad Day that Starts Bad!**

Pocket Monsters, or "Pokémon" for short: The strange, mysterious lifeforms on this planet. In the forests, in the skies, in the seas… Wherever you were in the world, you were sure to see them. Five hundred… six hundred… seven hundred… too many to really know the full scope. Your time would be better spent numbering the stars, or counting the leaves on a tree, or the ripples in a pond.

We found ourselves in the Kalos Region. One of the many regions this world had been divided into, home to a multitude of people and Pokémon. Each of those people and Pokémon, dreaming a multitude of dreams. There are as many adventures as there are dreams… each Pokémon and each person reaching towards a dream to make their very own.

One such young man took a bite from an apple before handing it off to his shoulder bound partner. This brown-eyed young man with raven-black hair was Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town. Together, with his partner Pikachu, he continued his never-ending journey to perfect the art of the Pokémon Battle, with his dream of becoming a Pokémon Master acting as a near inexhaustible source of fuel for him. Ash walked at the head of the group of four travelers with confidence, his eyes focused forward as he grips the brim of his cap. His thoughts were filled with the next battle on his way to the Kalos League.

A short distance behind him walked a young woman with honey-blonde hair, absently playing with her handheld computer guidebook. The girl's name was Serena, and with her partners Braixen, Pancham, and Sylveon, she challenged the Pokémon Showcases of the Kalos Region, aiming to claim victory in the Rookie Class Showcases and enter the Master Class, with her ultimate goal of being crowned Kalos Queen, the best Pokémon Performer in the region. Having lost the most recent Master Class, she traveled with Ash to continue to learn and develop her skills. She shot Ash the occasional glance and found herself smiling. The pride of Pallet Town always made her feel warm and happy, and this day was no exception.

Behind Ash and Serena were two blonde siblings. The older, a young man whose name was Clemont, lags behind the younger, a girl named Bonnie. Clemont struggles with his heavy bag, which contained, among other things, the camping gear for the entire party as well as his suite of homemade machines, which he used to help his friends out of many situations. This unassuming young man, with his partners Bunnelby, Chespin, and Luxray, was the brilliant Gym Leader of Lumiose City, whose dream it was to be an inventor who makes all people and Pokémon happy. His little sister Bonnie had a simple dream, to one day be a Pokémon Trainer like her friends. Until that day comes, she stored the dreams of travelling in her head as she took care of the Dedenne her brother allows her to keep, as well as the mysterious green Pokémon known only as Squishy, in preparation for becoming a trainer.

Four young hearts, beating with four young dreams. Unfortunately, there would be a bump in the road for our heroes, one that would shake their dreams and change the path of their adventure. For there was not much one can do when the bridge was out but find a new way to proceed…

"Clemont, why can't you walk even a little bit faster?" Bonnie huffed as she walked backwards, holding her hands behind her head.

The inventor sighed. "It's not a big deal, Bonnie. We're in no rush. The Pokémon Center isn't very far. We'll easily get there by nightfall."

Serena closed her guidebook. "That's a relief! I can't wait until we get there! A nice hot shower will be just what the doctor ordered!"

Ash scratched Pikachu's head as he took the apple back after his partner took a bite. "A nice warm bed'll be great, too," he added. "I know we're in the mountains but it's been real cold the past few nights."

"Do you think maybe we'll see snow?!" Bonnie asked, turning around towards Ash as they walked.

"I'm pretty sure it's still too warm for that," Clemont added, stepping forward a bit more quickly to catch up with the group. "We've only just now entered autumn, so you're probably waiting a few months for any snow."

"You're no fun…" his sister pouted.

"Hey, the fall can be pretty fun, too," Ash said, looking back at her. "Lotsa stuff is ready to eat in the fall, and there's lotsa reasons to get together to eat all sorts of great food!"

Serena giggled. "Ash, sometimes it seems like the only thing you think about is food."

"Nah, 'course not," he said proudly, refocusing his sights on the path ahead. "I also think about battles!"

"Pikachu…" the Electric-Type sighed, exasperated with his single-minded companion.

The whole party had a healthy chuckle as they rose over the hill, overlooking the next leg of their journey. Serena felt a chill down her spine as she took it in. The path ahead of them sloped back down towards a cliff. A rope bridge connected this side of the cliff to the other, crossing over a steep drop into the valley below, and the sharp-eyed performer could already tell that the wind blowing through the valley below was enough to cause the bridge to rock gently. Her once fluid walking seized as her shoulders tensed.

"Serena, what's up?" Ash asked, stopping his own movement.

The performer was suddenly experiencing a bit of stage fright. "It's noth-I mean, I'm-"

"Ash, you _know_ she's afraid of heights!" Bonnie butted in.

"Bonnie!" Serena placed a finger in front of her mouth. "No I'm not!"

The smaller girl pouted. "You act like nobody knows."

Ash looked at Serena for a moment, running through his past interactions with the honey-blonde girl through his head. "Are you really afraid of heights, Serena?"

Embarrassed, she shook her head. "No, it's not like that. I'm fine with heights, it's the bridge I'm not crazy about…"

Clemont adjusted his glasses. "Did something happen to you on a rope bridge once, Serena?"

The girl shuddered. "Honestly, I'd rather not talk about it… can we just keep moving?"

Ash nodded. "Right, no point worryin' over the past, is there? Let's keep going."

The troupe agreed and continued their way towards the bridge. The girl from Vaniville tried to psyche herself up for it, with little results. ' _It's going to be fine!'_ she thought. ' _That bridge is at least twice as wide as the last one and it's not even half as wobbly! It'll be fine! It won't be like-"_

A strong gust blew through the chasm, causing the bridge to rock just as Bonnie was about to take her first step upon its planks, causing Serena to reach out and grab her by the shoulders until the wind passed.

"Geez, Serena, you sure are scared of a little wind," Bonnie said.

Clemont came up behind her. "I hate to say it, but she's right. Are you sure you're alright, Serena?"

Ash frowned. "Maybe we could find another way…"

Serena quickly dismissed the suggestion. "N-no way!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "We're so close to Snowbelle City! We don't need a detour now." She took a breath and looked to her friends. "I'll be okay… I just need to take my time, that's all."

Ash frowned for a moment before looking to the blonde siblings. "Clemont, Bonnie, you two go on across. I'll walk Serena across after you two make it."

Clemont nodded. "Right, good idea." He gave the downtrodden girl a smile. "You'll see that it's safe, Serena. Just wait here with Ash, alright?"

"Oh-Okay…" she said, giving a nod back.

Bonnie was already on the bridge. "C'mon, Clemont! Let's go! I wanna see if there's any Pokémon on that side of the gorge!"

The inventor chuckled to himself before starting to follow his sister across.

Serena's wavering eyes watched as the bridge swayed with each plodding step Clemont took.

"You really don't like rope bridges, do you, Serena?"

Serena's thoughts were interrupted by Ash's observation. She shook her head. "They just seem really unsafe, you know?" she said, running her hand through her hair, taking care not to knock her red fedora off. "One gust and you could go over."

"Clemont's right though, Serena," Ash said. "I'm sure it's perfectly safe. You'll see."

"We're here!" Bonnie called out. The two trainers who had yet to cross the bridge looked across to where the sibling duo had just finished. "That wasn't bad at all!"

"The supports keep the bridge perfectly safe," Clemont noted. "You both should have zero problems crossing it."

Serena swallowed, looking at the bridge. "Well… here we go…"

Ash stepped in front of her. "Just follow me close, okay Serena?" he asked. "I'll make sure you don't fall."

Serena nodded. "Thank you, Ash."

Ash began walking cross the wooden bridge, with Serena's hands clutching his backpack as if it were the only thing keeping her on the ground. The girl felt the bridge swaying under her steps, but kept her pace with Ash. "W-We're crossing it," she said, keeping her eyes glued to the back of Ash's head. "We're almost there."

"See? I told you, there's nothing to it," Ash responded. "Nothing's gonna go wrong."

Suddenly, a cloud of black smoke exploded all around Ash and Serena, choking them and blinding their vision.

"Ash! Serena!" Clemont and Bonnie called out in surprise.

"What's going on here?" Ash asked, choking on the smoke. He heard something zip past his ear, and suddenly his shoulder felt much lighter.

As the smoke cleared, it was clear that Pikachu was gone.

"What the? Who did that?" Ash shouted, looking up.

A rolling laughter all too familiar to Ash and his friends roared over them as the easily recognizable Meowth-shaped balloon hovered overhead.

"If you have to ask, you should prepare for trouble!"

"You twerps can't last to make it double!"

Two people and one Pokémon were standing in the balloon overlooking them. The magenta-haired woman spoke first.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

The man with indigo-hair responded.

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!" The Pokémon among them finally spoke up, the golden charm glittering on his forehead.

"Pikapi!" called the muffled voice of Pikachu from the glass orb held in Meowth's paws.

"Team Rocket!" Ash called through clenched teeth. "Give Pikachu back right now!"

James stuck his tongue out while Jessie laughed. "Please," the woman's blue eyes shone as she spoke, "Like we'd listen to a twerp."

"If you want a Pikachu, you should find another one," James taunted.

"But den we'd steal DAT one, too!" the Scratch Cat Pokémon laughed.

Growling, Ash took a Poké Ball from his belt and enlarged it. "If that's how you wanna do it, then Talonflame, I choose you!"

Ash threw the ball into the air which snapped open, and the explosion of light and energy released his Talonflame, screeching and ready to go.

Clemont reached into the pockets in his jumpsuit and pulled out a Poké Ball of his own. "Chespin, let's help out!" he called, opening the ball in his hands.

"Yeah, get'em big brother!" Bonnie cheered. From Clemont's Poké Ball emerged the Grass-Type, ready and raring for battle.

Serena, meanwhile, could only notice that the bridge was continuing to sway. Her brain was telling her to help her friends against the persistent troublemakers, but she couldn't manage to move an inch.

Team Rocket glanced at each other, gritting their teeth. "Well, if the twerps wanna play, Gourgeist will show them on their way!"

"Inkay, into the fray!"

The two villains threw their own Poké Balls, sending out their Pokémon to do battle.

"Talonflame, use Flame Charge!"

"Gourgeist, use Shadow Ball!"

"Chespin, Pin Missile!"

"Inkay, Psybeam!"

The Scorching Pokémon cloaked himself in flames, the heat boosting his speed as he charged towards Gourgeist. The Grass-and-Ghost-Type fired several volleys of ghostly orbs at Talonflame, but Ash's Pokémon was simply too fast, and cleanly evaded the attack. Talonflame crashed into Gourgeist, sending it careening backwards towards Team Rocket's balloon. At the same time, Inkay flipped upside-down and fired a ray of psychokinetic energy at Chespin. The Spiny Nut Pokémon's quills began to glow just before he shot them off towards the Dark-and-Psychic-Type, flying through the air. Some of them crashed into the beam, but two of them struck Inkay, causing the levitating Pokémon to fall somewhat.

Gourgeist's body collided with the basket that Team Rocket was standing in, causing them to rattle about the confined space. Meowth dropped the glass container holding Pikachu, and the orb shattered, freeing the Electric-type. Pikachu leapt onto the edge of the balloon and took a defensive stance, his cheeks sparking.

Meowth gasped. "Pikachu's on da run!"

Jessie turned to Meowth. "Well, don't just stand there! Grab it!"

"Chespin, use Vine Whip!"

Clemont's Grass-Type extended two vines from his neck, slinging them forward, crashing into Inkay and knocking it into the basket as well. The shaking caused Pikachu to stumble, almost losing his footing from his perch.

"Talonflame, dive through there and Pikachu, you jump on!" Ash commanded.

The Fire-and-Flying-type dove straight through the gap between the basket and the balloon, and with lightning-quickness, Pikachu jumped onto the bird Pokémon's back.

"Stop them before they get away!" Jessie ordered her teammates. "We almost had it that time!"

"Inkay, use tackle on that twerpy Talonflame!" James ordered.

"Pin Missile again!"

Clemont's Chespin grinned as he fired another volley at Team Rocket's Pokémon, cutting off any attempt at stopping Pikachu and Talonflame.

Ash's flying Pokémon came back to his trainer and Pikachu jumped off onto Ash's shoulder. The brown-eyed trainer laughed, hugging his partner. "I'm glad you're safe, buddy. How about we send Team Rocket on their way?"

"Pika!" he responded, pumping his fist.

"Gourgeist, use Seed Bomb on those twerps!"

Shouting angrily, Gourgeist spat a cluster of explosive seeds at Ash. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder and discharged a bolt of electricity from his body towards Team Rocket's Balloon. The Thunderbolt struck Gourgeist, knocked it back into the balloon, and then caused the entire thing to explode.

However, the Seed Bomb attack struck the bridge that Ash and Serena were standing on, causing it to shake wildly. Serena screamed as she lost her footing and fell down. Seeing his companion fall, Ash quickly turned to her. "Serena!" He reached for her hand and caught it just before she fell all the way down on the bridge.

"We're blasting off again!" shouted Team Rocket as the explosion launched them over the horizon, far and away from Ash and his friends.

Serena shivered on the shaky bridge, not even registering that Ash had caught her hand until he began speaking again. "Serena, are you alright?" he asked.

Her eyes still shut, she nodded. "I really really want to get off this bridge and onto something solid right now," she said, trying to keep her tears in.

"Well, Team Rocket's gone. We're safe now." Ash said calmly, helping her to her feet.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu called, climbing up Ash's shoulder. While Ash was smiling at his partner, the Mouse Pokémon had a worried look on his face as he pointed towards the end of the bridge.

The trainer from Pallet Town had spoken too soon.

"Ash! The bridge!" Clemont shouted.

Ash and Serena looked toward the side of the valley that Clemont and Bonnie were on, and saw that the bridge's planks were splintered from the Seed Bomb attack. Ash also quickly noticed that the ropes holding the bridge were beginning to break. "Oh no, the bridge!"

The blonde siblings both gasped. "Ash! Serena!"

Thinking quickly, he pulled Serena up and close to him, holding her close. ' _I can't get Serena across this bridge fast enough! We'll never make it!'_ "Talonflame, com'ere quick!" Talonflame swooped down towards his trainer. "Grab my arm! You gotta keep us from falling too hard!"

Just as Talonflame nodded, the ropes supporting the bridge were beginning to snap. He quickly reached down with his talons, grabbing Ash's free arm and extending his wings. As the bridge fell from under them, Serena screamed, clutching Ash's jacket in her hands. Ash held her close, and Talonflame flapped his wings with as much force as he could muster. It wouldn't be an easy landing, but it wouldn't be dangerous one, either.

Ash held Serena as the two of them crashed into the ground, Talonflame only slowing their descent just enough. The ends of the valley now looked more like a canyon from the bottom. Ash grunted, laying on his back with the performer on top of him. His arm, which the Scorching Pokémon released felt like it was burning, but he had a more pressing concern. "Serena, are you alright?"

Serena opened her eyes. They had stopped moving and everything but the two of their breathing was still. She looked up at Ash, seeing the gentle worry in his brown eyes. "I'm alright… thank you Ash," she said, smiling as she sat up.

Then her eyes caught Ash's arm, and the gash left there by the talon of the Fire-type. "Ash, your arm!" Blood was running down his arm where Talonflame had gripped him to slow his descent.

Ash gritted his teeth. "It coulda been worse, right? I'll take a little cut over breaking a bone any day," he said, forcing a smile through the pain.

"Let me handle this," Serena said, moving around Ash and getting into his backpack. "Do you have your first aid kit still?"

Ash and Clemont were in charge of carrying the first aid supplies for the group, Clemont for Bonnie's sake, and Ash for his own. But the trainer chuckled. "Uh, sorry Serena. I think I forgot to restock back in the last town."

Serena whimpered as she dug through his backpack for something when she saw it. A familiar blue handkerchief. Taking it, she quickly took Ash's arm and tied it around where he had been cut, giving it a tight tug to make sure it would apply even pressure over the cut.

Ash clenched his teeth. "Th-thanks, Serena," he said with a grin.

"Ash! Serena! Can you hear me?" Clemont's voice rang from above them.

Bonnie's voice followed with a question. "Are you two alright?"

"We're alright!" Ash shouted as Serena finished adjusting the handkerchief.

Talonflame approached Ash and cawed sadly. Ash raised his bandaged arm and scratched under the Pokémon's beak. "It's alright, Talonflame. You were just doing what I asked. Thanks for saving us."

Serena smiled at Talonflame as well. "Thank you, Talonflame. You were a real hero today."

The bird Pokémon opened his wings and threw them around Ash and Serena, his Flame Body glowing warmly for a moment in gratitude.

"Are you two stuck down there?" Bonnie asked from above.

Serena looked up. They had really fallen far. The tattered remains of the bridge hung above their head, completely unusable now. "I don't think we're coming back up!"

Clemont shouted down. "There has to be another way, then!"

Serena took her computerized guide from her pocket and opened it. She smiled. "It looks like if we follow the path through the valley, we can make it to the same Pokémon Center we were already headed to before nightfall," she said.

Ash looked up. "Keep heading to the Pokémon Center!" he shouted. "We'll meet you there tonight, we promise!"

Clemont hesitated for a moment, and then looked at Bonnie. "Alright, Ash. But if you two don't make it, we're going to be looking for you!"

"You've got it!" Ash responded.

With that, Clemont and Bonnie turned from the cliff and began walking down the path towards the Pokémon Center.

Bonnie tugged at the sleeve of her brother's jumpsuit. "Do you think they'll be alright?"

Clemont pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I'm sure Ash and Serena will be alright, Bonnie. This whole thing will end up being nothing more than another bump in the road."

She sighed. "I hope you're right…"

Meanwhile, at the bottom of the valley, Serena helped Ash to his feet. "Thanks, Serena," he said while scratching his nose. "Let's get going."

"Right," she said, nodding. "But be careful to pace yourself. We both just took a pretty hard fall."

Ash recalled Talonflame into his Poké Ball. "Don't worry, it'll be fine," he said, dismissing the worry. "Let's hurry and meet up with Clemont and Bonnie before dinner. I'm getting hungry!"

 **To Be Continued...**

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"Alright everyone! Let's go together! Towards our next adventure!"

"Falling off that bridge didn't feel so good, but Serena and I are okay! We'll make it to the Pokémon Center!"

"Ash?! It's starting to rain!"

"Aah! Let's find someplace safe!"

"You know, Ash, falling off that bridge, it reminds me of this time when I was a kid..."

"Next time, Pokémon XY&Z: The ABC's of Love! Marshmallows and Memories! The Story of the Falling Bridge!"

"Everyone, go catch'em all!"


	2. Marshmallows and Memories!

**I'm so happy about the positive response this story has gotten so far! I hope you all continue to enjoy this story! I've decided on a Thursday update schedule, so new chapters should be posted on Thursdays (United States relative, as I'm a 'murican).**

 **I once again want to thank my friends for helping me with this story! Let's get started with Chapter 2!**

 **Chapter 2 Marshmallows and Memories! The Story of the Falling Bridge!**

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"Are you sure you're alright?" Serena asked, practically hovering around him.

"I am, I am," Ash said, waving her worries off. He raised his arm, where the handkerchief was holding his wound covered. "You handled it really well back there, Serena. I expected nothing less from you."

Serena averted her eyes from the praise, but the blood soaking through the handkerchief had dyed a spot of it red where it was once only blue. "If you say so," she said, frowning. "Thanks."

They walked in silence for a few moments, the sound of the wild Pokémon in the trees being the only background for their thoughts.

"Ash…" Serena said raising her hand for a moment before letting it drop, "I'm sorry. I'm just a worrywart. I just saw you bleeding and I got scared…"

Ash shrugged. "It's no big deal," he said gruffly. Looking over at the girl, his expression softened and he let out a sigh. "I mean, I'm alright, Serena. As long as I've got my Pokémon and my friends with me, there's nothing we can't accomplish. A little cut won't stop me."

"Pika, Pikachu!"

Ash gave his partner a petting. "See? Even Pikachu knows I'm alright. Trust me Serena, if I needed anything, I'll let you know."

Serena giggled. "Alright, I'll trust you Ash."

The two of them laughed together for a moment before a growl came from the trainer's stomach. Ash wrapped both his arms around his belly, looking embarrassed. "I guess I could go for a bite to eat."

Serena took her backpack off as they continued walking and looked inside it. "Well, the only thing I have ready to eat are the Poké Puffs I've made for the group."

Ash and Pikachu's eyes both lit up. "F'real? Awesome, get 'em out!"

"Pikachu!"

Serena smiled as she took the Poké Puff case out of her bag. "I don't really get why you eat them, Ash," she said with a shrug. "I mean, they're meant for Pokémon."

Ash grabbed the case out of her hands and popped it open. "Serena, they're the best! Your Poké Puffs are always delicious!" He took one out and handed it to Pikachu, and then took one out for himself. "Let's eat!"

Serena could only smile at them as Ash ate the first Poké Puff he pulled out in three bites before going in for another one. "You really think so?"

"I know so!" Ash said between bites, his mouth filled with the sweetness of the confection. "I could eat these for a week straight and not get tired of them!"

"Pikachu!" he chimed in.

Serena was beaming. "I'm glad you like them so much, Ash."

Ash grinned back. "Good friends, good food, and the road! Nothing beats it!"

Serena felt herself getting lost in his brown eyes yet again. No matter how often bad things would rear their head, Ash Ketchum was an undefeatable ball of positivity, never letting anything dampen his mood for more than a moment before pressing on. It was this never give up attitude that drew her to him, that inspired her to reunite with him after years of separation. Ash had inspired her to take her life into her own hands and pursue her own dreams rather than living for the dreams and desires of other people, which had set Serena on the path of the Pokémon Performer. Truthfully, part of Serena's dream was also that she would someday be able to tell Ash about how he truly makes her feel inside her heart. How he always made her want to go further, how he always inspired her to never give up on herself, how his laughter could brighten even her cloudiest day…

Serena looked up. It was a remarkably cloudy day, with clouds growing darker and darker. Frowning, she opened her guide and tapped the weather app. Her blue eyes widened as the weather map appeared on her screen. "Ash, I think we've got a storm coming through soon."

He looked up, holding the brim of his hat. "You're right," he said, his own expression clouding over. "We should probably try to find some shelter soon."

Serena looked around, but between the cliff face and the trees in the valley, there didn't look like there was anything suitable for a shelter. "Maybe we can find a cave along the cliff to hide in?" she suggested.

Pikachu's ears twitched and he looked around. A bolt of lightning ripped through sky, and the thunder rolled over them, echoing in the valley.

Serena screamed in surprise, jumping as the sky began to open up and let loose the torrents of rain that it was holding. Ash looked to his honey-blonde friend. "Serena, are you alright?"

She nodded, swallowing her fear. "I-I'm fine! It's just a bit startling, that's all."

"We need to get someplace dry fast," Ash said. The rain began washing away all of their heat, and Ash felt it particularly painfully on his arm where he was cut. He clenched his teeth as the rain once again reminded him of the pain. Serena nodded at Ash's words, and the two of them began running through the quickly developing puddles.

Another bolt of lightning split the sky. Again, the thunder roared over them.

"Ash! Over there!"

Serena pointed to what, at first glance appeared only to be an indention in the wall, but as he got closer, Ash saw that it was, in fact, a small alcove, a hollow in the rock. "That's perfect!" he cried.

The two of them ran into the hollow and out of the rain. Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and shook himself dry, a motion the trainer mimicked himself after taking off his hat, splattering some of the water on Serena. Frowning, Serena gently squeezed her hair to wring it out even a little. "I'm totally soaked," she complained. "It even went through my hat."

Ash sat down, his back against the wall. "It came down really heavy," he said, looking into the rain. "Man, I guess we're not making it to the Pokémon Center after all…"

Serena frowned as she sat down. "I hope Clemont and Bonnie are okay. We were lucky we found this spot to hide out from the rain. Getting caught in the rain like this must be awful."

Ash gave her a confident smile. "I'm sure they're alright. Clemont's a reliable guy and Bonnie's there to keep them moving. Those two have nothing to worry about together."

"But what about us?" Serena continued to worry, tapping on her guide. "From the looks of this, we're going to be stuck in the rain like this all night."

Ash's stomach growled again at this inopportune moment. Scratching his nose nervously, he chuckled. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time our dinner was slim pickings, would it, Pikachu?"

Pikachu narrowed his gaze at Ash. "Pikachu pika…" he said, as if to say 'Speak for yourself'.

"That's just it, Ash," the performer continued to explain. "Clemont has all the food. All I have are ingredients for making a few desserts."

Ash's very relaxed, hands-off attitude disappeared like so much missing food. "Wait, you're telling me we really don't have anything to eat?" he asked, hopping forward. "I know Pikachu and I ate all the Poké Puffs earlier but I didn't think that was all our food!"

Serena began digging through her bag. "I might have something but it's still probably just a snack…" she said. Her blue eyes were overcome with worry as she began taking things out. Flower nectar, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, sweet honey all got taken out of her bag and gently placed down next to her.

Ash very briefly considered eating the cocoa powder raw.

At last, Serena pulled out a bag of large marshmallows and Ash's eyes lit up again. "All right! Marshmallows!"

She looked at him, puzzled. "Marshmallows? What can we do with these? I mean, I guess we can eat them…"

"What're you talkin' about, Serena?" he asked. "We're gonna roast some marshmallows!"

"Pikachu!"

The honey-blonde girl gave him a pitiful frown. "Are you sure we can? I mean, I've never roasted marshmallows…"

Ash felt his jaw drop. "Serena, you've never roasted marshmallows on a fire before?"

She shook her head. "I've seen people do it on TV before but I've never roasted any myself."

Ash gave her a confident grin. "Well, that ends today. We need some sticks, and we can use Braixen's fire, but we're absolutely going to roast some marshmallows tonight."

Serena looked back out into the pouring rain. "We need sticks? Are you sure we can even get any in this weather?"

Ash looked out too, and then tossed off his hat. "I'll get a little wet, but it'll be okay," he said. He unzipped his jacket and slipped it off his shoulders. "I'll just leave this stuff here all of my clothes won't be totally wet afterwards."

He tossed his jacket to Serena, who caught it, blinking. "Ash, you really don't need to go through all this trouble," she said, a faint blush creeping on her cheeks.

Ash was already taking a Poké Ball off his belt. "Greninja, I choose you!" Opening the ball brought out Ash's Ninja Pokémon. He stood there, eyes closed but listening at the ready. "Greninja, can you help me go find some sticks really quick?" Greninja's eyes opened up, and he gave a quick, affirmative "Gre" as his only vocalized response. Ash pumped his fist. "Great! Let's get going!"

As Ash and Greninja rushed out of the cave, Serena felt herself raising her hand, trying to stop him, but he had bolted out into the rain without so much as one glance backwards. "Ash…" she whispered to herself, half annoyed, half wistful.

"Pikapi," the Electric-Type, who was left on the cave's floor, said as well.

Serena felt herself blush a little, sighing over Ash with Pikachu sitting there. She locked eyes with Ash's partner for only a moment before dismissing the idea. ' _No, there's no way Pikachu knows…'_ she told herself. Instead, she smiled and beckoned him closer. "Would you like to sit here, Pikachu?" she said, motioning to her lap. Pikachu nodded and hopped into the girl's arms, settling on her legs.

Pikachu was still a little damp to the touch, but Serena stroked his fur, anyway, letting her thoughts wander. She still had Ash's jacket over her arms, and it made her feel warm, especially in her heart. Ash could be impulsive and a little childish at times, but his intentions were always ones of kindness and compassion. It was yet another characteristic of his that she found to be amazing. As she continued to pet Pikachu, she thought of Ash and his unyielding spirit. Being separated from the others was not how she had planned this night from going, but with Ash at her side, Serena felt like everything was going to be fine. They would all have a laugh once this was over.

Ash and Greninja returned after a short wait, both of them carrying bundles of sticks under their arms. While Greninja's expression was the same sort of quiet, listening expression he normally carried, Ash was grinning wide, though trembling from being soaking wet. "We're back!" he said, his smile lighting up the small cave.

Serena got up to welcome him back, but the boy from Pallet followed up his words with a sneeze, causing Serena's feelings to go from happy to see him back to worried that he made himself sick. "Ash, you really shouldn't have been out there that long," she chastised, holding Pikachu in her arms as Ash's jacket fell from her to the ground. "You better not have caught a cold. You remember what happened last time!"

Pikachu leapt from Serena back to his buddy's shoulder, where he nuzzled the boy's cold face. "I'm alright, Serena, and look! We can even roast the marshmallows now!"

"Pikapika!"

The performer's pursed her lips into a pout. "Ash, just… be more careful, okay?"

He scratched the back of his head shyly. "S-Sorry…"

Following Ash's instructions, Serena let out Braixen, who lit most of the sticks on fire, though the wetness of the wood caused them to crackle and steam as they burned the water out of them, resulting in a small fire. Serena looked at the tiny pyre and then looked back at Ash, who was affixing a marshmallow to the end of his stick, with Pikachu doing the same. "You almost ready, buddy?"

"Pika!"

Serena smiled and took a stick for herself, poking a marshmallow on the end of the stick. "I guess I'm ready, too," she said, mustering some enthusiasm.

Ash and Pikachu huddled around the small fire, smiling. The roast was, of course, the second most fun part of eating roasted marshmallows, with the most fun being eating them. The boy and his Pokémon raised their sticks to the fire, drawing a shocked gasp out of Serena. "Ash, what're you doing?"

Ash looked at her, confused. "I'm roasting my marshmallow," he responded.

"Kachu."

"You're gonna burn it, right?" she said, pointing at the stick. "You're getting the marshmallow way too close to the fire!"

Ash chuckled. "Serena, you're supposed to burn them," he said sagely.

She got closer, blinking. "Are you sure? I'd think burning them makes them taste gross."

Ash nodded. "I'm positive. They're way better when burnt."

"Pikachu!"

"It's like today, you know?" He said, lowering his marshmallow into the flames. His marshmallow combusted quickly, the surface of it charring and turning black and crusty. "We were having a pretty ordinary day, but then Team Rocket came by and burned everything up. But below the surface of that, there's still sweetness in our lives. Team Rocket just made the day more interesting, and we got something interesting out of it." He scratched his nose nervously. "I dunno if that made any sense. But it's like, good things can come out of bad things, you know?"

Serena listened to his reasoning with a smile on her face. Leave it to Ash to try to work some sort of life lesson into eating. She lowered her own marshmallow into the flames and watched it catch fire. She was very familiar with the color of the flames, having performed alongside Braixen through all of her Pokémon Showcase challenges. The burning brought to mind the experience she had in the Master Class, when she tasted defeat at the hands of Aria, who was now starting her second reign as Kalos Queen. But there was a sweet side, as well. Palermo, the former Kalos Queen and a famous talent scout, had offered her a place at her side, to allow Serena to learn more about being a great Performer. An offer that Palermo placed on hold until Serena was ready for it.

"Just, uh," Ash interrupted her thoughts, "Make sure to blow on it a bit 'cause it's still hot."

She stifled a giggle. The blackened marshmallow didn't look very appetizing on the end of her stick. She looked over at Ash and Pikachu who were now chewing on their own gooey, sticky marshmallows happily. "Well, here goes," she whispered to herself.

She placed the marshmallow in her mouth and pulled the stick out. The first thing she tasted was the char on the surface. It was bitter and cracked against her tongue, turning to ash quickly. But then, the taste was replaced with a sweet, creaminess, that still had bits and pieces of the burnt outside along with it. It was a complex, sophisticated taste… one that Ash had taught her, composed of bitterness with a core of sweetness. Serena thought that it was sort of like Ash himself.

She smiled at him. "That was actually really yummy, Ash!" She said.

"See?" He grinned. "Better when burnt!"

The two of them laughed, and continued roasting marshmallows together.

When their bag had run out, and the fire had petered down, Ash and Serena sat next to each other, with Greninja and Braixen at their sides, and Pikachu in Ash's lap. There was a brief moment of quiet between them, the unstated weariness causing them both to grow sleepy. Ash had his jacket back on now as they both rested against the wall of the cave.

"Serena, can I ask you something?" Ash asked, his voice low and quiet.

The performer almost jumped. Ash's voice sounded really serious and low. "Y-Yes, Ash?"

"Why are you so afraid of rope bridges?" he asked.

Serena let out a sigh of relief that he wasn't broaching the subject she thought he was. "It's… not something I really talk about often," she said. "It's probably because of that really scary thing that happened to me back at Summer Camp."

"You mean the one back in Pallet Town?" Ash asked.

She nodded. "It's… a little embarrassing."

Ash could sense her discomfort with the topic. "Y-You don't gotta," he said, backing off the topic.

Serena shook her head. "It's okay… I don't mind telling you…" She closed her eyes and began travelling back in time to that day. A day that would end up changing her life forever. "I'm not from Pallet Town, or even Kanto, so I didn't know any of the other kids at Camp. That meant I was a pretty easy target for bullying…"

Ash leaned back, his eyes focusing on her a little bit more. "You had to deal with bullies, huh?"

She nodded. "I.. guess I wasn't my bright cheery self back then. You see, that summer… a few months before, that's when my father passed away."

Ash felt his heart sink into his stomach. "Oh man… Serena, I'm sorry that…"

She shook her head. "It's really okay Ash," she shot him a sad smile. "It was a long time ago. But Mom sent me away to camp to try and help get my mind off of it. Anyway, I guess I wasn't very cheerful, and that just made me an even bigger target for bullies…"

 _A young girl with honey-blonde hair framing her face and going down her back followed behind a group of other girls. "A-Are you sure we should be going out this far into the forest?" she asked, trying to hold back tears._

 _One of the girls tossed her hair. "Puh-lease," she scoffed. "Any kid from Pallet is brave enough to go into these woods."_

" _I guess the Kalosian Princess is just a scaredy-Meowth," another said._

 _Serena sniffled. She_ was _scared and she didn't want to be out here with them… but she also didn't know where else she could go. Her mother had abandoned her out here in the middle of nowhere in a camp filled with complete strangers, and her daddy was…_

 _She didn't know what to do, so she let the other children push her along, deeper and deeper into the forest. "I-I'm not scared…" she said, her voice quivering._

 _The lead girl turned to her and smirked. "You're gonna prove it, Serena," she said. "We're headed to a place where we all test our bravery. If you can pass, you'll be one of us."_

 _The offer of belonging to the group was one that raised Serena's spirits a little. "I-I'll be brave," she said, her voice quivering. "Th-Then maybe we can go play somewhere else…?"_

 _They didn't say anything in response._

 _The girls continued to walk in silence, the trees growing thicker and thicker, the light growing dimmer and dimmer as they proceeded. Serena swallowed, the silence unnerving. She held her straw hat down on her head and tried to think of what her Mother had told her on the way to camp. But all she could think of was how much she missed Rhyhorn and Fletchling and Daddy. She sniffled, holding her tears in._

 _The group of girls eventually came to a wooden rope bridge, spanning over a small river that ran through the forest. Serena gasped as the girls pushed her to the front of the group, and she found herself at the front, standing right before the rickety bridge._

" _Go on, Scaredyrena," the lead girl taunted her. "Or are you gonna give up like Kalos always does?"_

 _The rest of the girls laughed, both at the joke and at the lost, young girl. "Scaredyrena, Scaredyrena," they chanted._

 _Serena balled up her small fists. "I-I'm not scared!" she protested, her small voice getting drown out by the chanting. "I-I'll cross it! Then we can be fr-friends, right?"_

 _The lead girl pushed her, causing Serena to stumble a few steps backwards onto the bridge. It creaked and swayed under even her small weight. She gasped and stood still._

" _C'mon, Scaredyrena! Go across!"_

 _Serena nodded to them and, holding onto the ropes, began walking her slow way across. The bridge was sturdier than she had thought, and she began walking her way across._

" _I-I'm almost there! I'm almost there!" she cheered herself on._

 _She heard a series of gasps come from behind her._

 _Serena turned around and saw the girl who had lead her out into the woods holding a knife from the camp kitchen. She was sawing her way through the ropes supporting the bridge. "W-What?! What're you doing?!" Serena gasped._

 _The bridge began to shudder and shake as the rope holding it up was cut through. The bridge began to lean to the side. Serena turned and ran across, screaming in terror as the bridge shaking and beginning to fall behind her._

 _Just as her feet landed on solid ground, the bridge behind her fell down into the valley below. Serena held down onto her hat and hot tears streamed down her face. The children across the divide laughed at her. "Aww, is Scardyrena okay? Is she afraid of a little fall?"_

 _Serena's lip quivered as she stood there, crying quietly, looking across the way at the mass of children laughing at her._

" _Listen if you get back, maybe we'll let you hang out with us,' the girl shouted. "Good luck, Scardyrena." With those words, the group of girls began heading back towards the campsite._

 _Serena stood there, watching them disappear down the path until they were all gone. Slowly the realization that they weren't coming back for her dawned, and she sniffled, heading into the forest._

 _The trees all seemed to spiral and move around her, looming overhead, blotting out the sky with their massive trunks and broad leaves. She felt like she had been lost for days, though it was only an hour._

 _She hated everything about this camp. She hated being away from her room. She hated how she couldn't make any friends. She hated Kanto and Pallet Town._

 _She hated being lost and lonely._

" _Hello?" she called out into the trees. "Where is everybody? Where did you all go?"_

 _The only answer was a sudden rustling of a bush next to her. Surprised, Serena gasped and tripped, falling to the ground on her knee, eliciting a yelp in pain. The rustling grew louder and louder as Serena laid there, whimpering loudly._

 _A Poliwag leapt from the bushes and landed next to her with a "Poli!" before hopping off further into the forest._

 _Serena watched the Pokémon run away and felt the tears sliding down her cheeks again. "I knew I didn't want to come to camp… I knew it…"_

 _Serena just wanted to go home. She wanted to see her Mom and Dad and Rhyhorn and Fletchling and forget about this entire stupid place. "M-Mommy!" she shouted into the forest, hoping against all logic that her mother would somehow hear her._

 _The bushes began to shake again, and though Serena was overcome with fear, she found her leg unresponsive to her will to run away. She closed her eyes and sobbed, paralyzed with fear and despair._

"… _Poliwag?" asked the voice of the boy who slowly emerged from the foliage._

Serena cleared her throat. "And that's the story of how I became afraid of rope bridges, I guess," she said, shrugging. "We both know what happened after that."

Ash scratched his nose. "Of course! That's the first time we met."

Pikachu, who had curled up in Ash's lap while Serena told the story, let out a yawn, causing his trainer to stroke his back.

Serena closed her eyes and relaxed before a question popped into her head. "Hey Ash? What were you doing in the forest when you found me?"

Ash's hand stopped abruptly on Pikachu, causing the mouse to sit up in confusion.

"There wasn't any reason," he said, chuckling nervously. "It's just what I normally did back then."

Serena watched his face as she spoke, noting a certain tenseness that wasn't there before. "It's just what you normally did?"

Ash yawned and stretched arms out. "Man, I'm tired… I think we should get some sleep. We're gonna have to find Clemont and Bonnie tomorrow," he said, smiling sheepishly. He pulled the front of his hat over his eyes. "G'night, Serena."

The performer found herself frowning. Ash so quickly changed the subject and decided that he was tired… was he just being impulsive as always, or did he really not want to talk about what happened in the forest that day?

These thoughts accompanied Serena as she curled up between Ash and Braixen and nodded off to sleep.

 **To Be Continued...**

* * *

 **"Alright everyone! Let's go together! Towards our next adventure!"**

"Big Bro! Ash and Serena are still missing!"

"Have no fear, little sister! I'm sure my invention will find them! Clemontic Gear, on!"

"Uh, you guys need help?"

"Huh? Who are you?"

"Call me Calem."

 **"Next time, Pokémon XY &Z: The ABC's of Love! Enter Calem, the Fashionable Rival!"**

 **"Everyone, go catch'em all!"**


	3. Enter Calem, the Fashionable Rival!

**Thank you all for following this story so far! I would especially like to thank r, doridoriqueen, RobSp1derp1g, DrafteeDragon, FantasyLover88, NGA96, angryanu2003, BellsproutSalad, Amourable, and ultimateCCC who have left reviews so far!**

 **The only announcement I have this time is that I've decided that the events of this story occur after _"Championing A Research Battle!"_ (Satoshi VS Champion Carne! VS Mega Sirknight!) but before _"A Full-Strength Battle Surprise!"_ (Rival Showdown! Satoshi VS Shota!). Without further ado, let's begin!**

* * *

"Clemont, when are we going?"

Bonnie tapped her foot impatiently, arms crossed and frowning. Her bright blue eyes bored a hole into the inventor as he frantically cranked a wrench. Dedenne and Squishy watched from her pochette as Clemont was putting on the finishing touches.

"I'm almost ready, Bonnie. My Living Thing Finder Model III will be a huge help."

It was the morning after their run in with Team Rocket, and Clemont and Bonnie shared an uneasy rest, since Ash and Serena did not arrive at the Pokémon Center the night before. Clemont woke up early, hoping to see his friends having come in during the night, asleep in bed. Sadly, the four-bed room they had registered still only had half occupancy when he put on his glasses. And so, he immediately set to reconstructing his Living Thing finder, which was entering its third itineration.

"I've made the needed adjustments. I'm absolutely sure that this will be the key to finding Ash and Serena."

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Just like it helped find things before, right?"

Clemont ground his teeth. "It'll work this time, I'm sure of it!"

"If it doesn't explode again."

"Bonnie!"

"Uh…" a new voice came from behind the two of them. "Am I interrupting something?"

Clemont and Bonnie had to do a double take at the stranger that had just approached them. His jacket and pants almost fooled them into thinking Ash had returned. However, this young man's skin was a few shades more pale than the Kanto Trainer, and his hair was well groomed and straight. His hat was also different, a simple red cap, adorned with a somewhat familiar looking pair of white sunglasses. Hiking boots finished off the outfit of the young man whose grey eyes blinked at the Lumiose siblings.

"Not at all," responded Clemont, adjusting his glasses, still taken aback that this young man looked similar to Ash.

"It looks like you two are in a bit of a bind," he said. "Can I lend you a hand?"

Clemont stood up. "Two of our friends were supposed to get here last night," he explained, "but they haven't arrived yet. My sister and I were just about to head out to search for them."

The young man smiled at Clemont. "Well, three sets of eyes are better than two. I'd be more than happy to help look for your friends."

"Do ya mean it, mister?" Bonnie asked cheerfully. "That's so nice of you!"

Clemont extended him a hand. "We'd be grateful for the help. My name's Clemont, and this is my little sister…"

"Bonnie!" she spoke up. Motioning to her bag, she held it up to the young man her small friends. "And these are Dedenne and Squishy!"

The young man took Clemont's hand. "Calem's my name. Nice to meet you both."

* * *

Serena groggily opened up her eyes and looked around as the events of the previous day quickly returned to her mind. _Right… Team Rocket… The bridge… Ash and I fell…_

Looking to her right, she saw that Ash was still snoozing peacefully, Pikachu in his arms and Greninja on the other side of him. This brought a smile to her face. No matter the adversity, Ash was always himself, whether sleeping, eating, or training.

A sudden growl emanated from the young trainer, and he, too, began to wearily awaken. "I'm so hungry…" he whispered, eyes barely open.

"Rise and shine, Ash," Serena said. "I guess we better start heading back towards the Pokémon Center."

Ash looked around the cave, his own brain slowly booting up after the sleep. "G'morning Serena," he said, followed by a short yawn. "I guess if we're gonna have breakfast, we better get movin' huh?"

"That sounds right," she said.

Braixen sat up and stretched her arms out. "Braixen brai…"

"Pi-chaaaa" the Mouse Pokémon added his own yawn to the mix.

Serena giggled. "I guess we only have to wait for Greninja to wake up now, huh?"

Ash shook his head. "Nah, Greninja's been awake for a while now."

"Gren," he said, confirming Ash's statement. Despite his eyelids being shut and being unmoving, the Ninja Pokémon was completely alert to their surroundings.

"Really?" Serena asked. "You could tell just like that?"

Ash nodded. "Greninja and I are on the same wavelength remember? I just knew! When you're as close as we are, it's really easy to tell."

"Ninja," he concurred.

"Ash, that's pretty incredible," Serena said, the words slipping out of her mouth almost by accident.

Ash scratched his nose. "Eheh… well, you know, that's just how we roll, right?"

"Pikachu!"

"Greninja!"

The Kantonese Trainer stood up. "We should get a move on. Clemont an' Bonnie are probably worrying a hole in the ground right now."

* * *

"So you're a Pokémon Trainer?" Clemont asked as they began retracing the path that Ash and Serena would have taken on their way back to the Pokémon Center.

Calem nodded. "That's right. I've got six Badges, so I'm pretty close to participating in the Kalos League," he said. "Though to be honest, I've got no interest in becoming the Champion or anything like that."

"Then why are you challenging the gyms?" Bonnie asked.

"Dene?"

"What I really want to do is become a famous designer," Calem explained. "I want all sorts of celebrities to wear my brand. Champions, the Kalos Queen, even members of the Elite Four, or people in other regions like S-Class Connoisseurs or Top Coordinators. I want to make the most stylish clothes the world has ever known, and I want to become world famous like that someday."

Bonnie held Dedenne up close and whispered to him as Squishy rode on top of her head. "If he wants to be a famous designer, then why do his clothes look like Ash's."

"Dedenn…?"

"That sounds like an impressive dream, Calem," Clemont said. "So I suppose you're only collecting Gym Badges while you travel for inspiration?"

Calem nodded. "The best way to get inspiration is to travel, so I'm on a journey with my Pokémon to gather that inspiration."

Bonnie stepped forward again. "One of our friends is collecting badges, too! He's got seven badges!"

"No kidding?" Calem asked, cracking a grin. "Maybe he can give me some tips. I haven't been to Anistar City or Laverre City yet, so those are the Gyms I need to beat."

"I'm sure Ash could say plenty about both of those Gyms!" Bonnie said.

Calem paused for a moment. "…Ash…?" His grey eyes seemed to lose focus.

Clemont paused. "Do you know Ash?" he asked.

"No. I don't." The trainer shook his head. "Besides, there's probably a thousand Ash's. I doubt the one I've heard about is this one."

He pressed on head past the blonde siblings, who shot each other a look of concern before following behind him.

* * *

"What happened here!?" Serena called out in shock at the huge mass of earth and debris that was blocking the path before them.

Ash adjusted his hat. "It looks like a landslide. I guess the rainwater weakened the ground and caused it to break off."

"Pika…"

"It's a good thing we stopped in that cave," Serena said. "Otherwise we could have gotten caught in it."

Ash turned to her. "Does the guidebook show any other ways around it?"

Serena flipped open her electronic guide and tapped on the screens a few times. "…It doesn't look like it. Not that isn't trying to climb a cliff, anyway."

"Then we'll need to go through this," Ash said. "But how… If we had a Pokémon that could Dig…"

Serena sighed. "We need Clemont and Bunnelby at a time like this…"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu leapt off of Ash's shoulder. "Pikapi ka chu Kakapi, kachu!" He pressed his paws against his red cheeks, creating sparks.

Ash nodded. "Great idea, buddy. Use your electricity and send a signal to Dedenne!"

"Pi-ka-chu!" Clenching his muscles, Pikachu discharged a burst of electricity for Dedenne to sense, hopefully drawing their friends closer.

"I hope this works," Serena said.

"It will, no doubt about it!" Ash said, his confidence still overflowing.

* * *

"Your friends are supposed to be out here somewhere, right?" Calem asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "Do you have any idea where they could be?"

Clemont pushed up his glasses, causing them to glint over in the sunlight. "I don't know yet, but I'm just about to find out!"

"Oh brother," Bonnie sighed. "Here we go again."

"The future is now, thanks to science!" the inventor loudly declared. "Clemontic Gear on!"

Placing the small UFO-shaped device on the ground next to him, he grinned widely. "Since we've been in situations like this before, I have precisely the machine we need! My Living Thing Finder Model III!"

"Living Thing Finder Model III?" Calem asked.

"It's _still_ not a very creative name...," muttered Bonnie. Dedenne and Squishy both chirped in agreement.

"This high-tech device can detect body heat and brainwaves from up to one-thousand kilometers away! It can create a radar-image that can tell you how strong the signal is, as well as its distance from your current location. Of course, the search field can be narrowed down, as well as the size of the target you're searching for. It's the ultimate in locating missing persons or Pokémon!"

Calem furrowed his brow. "You made this thing? Does it actually work?"

Clemont grinned. "Just watch! Power, on!"

Hitting a large button on his remote signaled the device to come to life. The loud whirring fans sprung to life and began lifting the device into the air. The display on Clemont's remote activated as well, showing a map as well as several bright red spots. "All we have to do is narrow the search band…" Clemont said, tapping a few buttons. "Human-sized, 98.6 average temperature…" Clemont looked around the map. There were two sets of dots. Near the center, there were three, which Clemont assumed were himself, Bonnie, and Calem. But a few hundred meters away there were two more dots! "It's working! I've got a reading on them!"

Bonnie gasped. "Really? That's awesome, big brother!"

The celebrations were cut short, however, when one of the fans that lifted the device above them began to sputter and spit out black smoke. Calem took a step back. "Uh, guys? It's not supposed to do that, right?"

Clemont felt his jaw drop. "Take cover!"

The Living Thing Finder's fan began to stall, and it quickly fell to the ground, where it exploded, choking the air with smoke. Once it cleared, the three humans and Dedenne had to deal with frizzy, puffy hair.

"It… it was working…" Clemont sighed.

Calem took a comb out of his pocket and began brushing his hair back to normal. "Ugh, my clothes... my hair…"

"Maybe next time, Clemont," Bonnie sighed.

There was a crackling of electricity from Bonnie's pochette. "Dene?" Suddenly, the Antenna Pokémon sprung out of the pochette and began to dash around. "Denedenedene!"

"What is it, Dedenne?" Bonnie asked.

"I think he's sensing Pikachu's electricity," Clemont noted, putting his now-wiped clean glasses back on his face.

"One of your friends has a Pikachu, I'm guessing?" Calem asked.

"We've actually reunited like this before," Clemont said. Turning back to the Electric-and-Fairy, he said "Now Dedenne, we're gonna need you to lead us to Pikachu and the others, okay?"

"Denne!" he confirmed and sprinted off, leading Clemont, Bonnie, and Calem through the brush. The three of them followed, Dedenne through the thick foliage as he pressed on, following the signal.

Once they emerged from the brush, they discovered a huge pile of mud, rocks, trees, and other debris blocking the path.

"It looks like a landslide," Calem noted.

"It did rain quite a bit last night,"Clemont pondered out loud, scratching his chin.

"Are they alright?" Bonnie asked.

"Hey guys!" A familiar voice called out over the mud and earth. "Can you hear me?"

Clemont immediately perked up. "It's Ash!" he exclaimed.

A different voice called over next. "Clemont! Bonnie! Are you guys okay?"

"It's Serena!" Bonnie responded, hopping happily.

Calem tensed up and focused on the voice carefully.

"Are you guys okay?" Clemont asked. "We were worried when that rainstorm came up!"

"We're fine!" Serena responded. "We found a cave and camped out!"

"We sure are hungry, though!" Ash shouted, getting a chuckle out of the inventor and his sister. "Clemont, I think you'll need to use Bunnelby to dig us a way through here!"

"Got it, Ash!" Clemont shouted back. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Poké Ball. "Bunnelby, we need your help!"

"Digging, huh?" Calem said, reaching into his jacket pocket. "I think I can lend a hand." He pulled his own Poké Ball out and tossed it up. "Vaporeon, come on!"

Both Poké Balls opened, and in two bright flashes stood Clemont's Digging Pokémon, the grey and brown rabbit Pokémon Bunnelby, as well as a blue, scaly canine Pokémon with a tail on its fin.

"Oh, wow! What a cutie!" Bonnie squealed as Vaporeon appeared.

Clemont smiled at Calem, nodding at him. "Great! Thanks for your help!"

"No problem," Calem responded, giving the Lumiose Gym Leader a thumbs up. "Now, Vaporeon, use Dig and make a tunnel to the other side!"

"Bunnelby, you use Dig as well! Help Vaporeon!"

Both Bunnelby and Vaporeon leap into the air and began spinning as they dove into the mud and debris. The two Pokémon twisted their way through, making a decently sized tunnel through the landslide.

Both Vaporeon and Bunnelby stepped back through the hole before the humans crawled through it. The first person through was a boy Calem thought was dressed a lot like him, including the blue jacket and the red hat. Holding onto his shoulder was, Calem assumed, the Pikachu that Bonnie's Dedenne was in communications with earlier. He stood up and dusted his knees over before turning around and offering a hand to the second person coming through.

The first thing he saw was the red fedora she wore on her short, honey-blonde hair. He took a step back, his jaw dropping. The girl stood up and tried to knock the dust off of her red sleeveless jacket before looking up at him.

The boy gave Calem a big, toothy grin. "Thanks for the help! My name's Ash!" he said, extending a hand to him. Pointing his thumb at the Pokémon on his shoulder, he added, "and this is my partner, Pikachu."

"Pikachu!"

The girl stepped forward after that. "Thank you so much! My name's…" But as she looked at him, the bright look in her eyes clouded over with confusion. "Wait… is that you, Xavier?"

Calem's open mouth widened into a smile. "Yvonne! You're all the way out here?! I can't believe it!"

Ash, Bonnie, and Clemont all stared at Serena like she had grown an extra head. "Yvonne?!"

* * *

 **"Alright everyone! Let's go together! Towards our next adventure!"**

"Yvonne, it's been a really long time!"

"Xavier, I'm surprised to see you out here?"

"Xavier? Yvonne? What're you guys talkin' about?"

"Well, this brings back memories..."

 **"Next time, Pokémon XY &Z: The ABC's of Love! Xavier and Yvonne! The "Inseparable XY"!"**

 **"Everyone, please catch'em all!"**


	4. Xavier and Yvonne! The Inseparable XY!

**Thank you everyone for your continued support! Special thanks to Grovylelover, FantasyLover88, DrafteeDragon, ultimateCCC, and nico2883 who have left reviews for chapter 3! I hope you enjoy the chapter I have in store today!**

 **Chapter 4: Xavier and Yvonne! The "Inseparable XY"!**

* * *

Serena quickly stepped over to Calem's side, her bright smile beaming. "Guys, you'll never guess who this is!" she almost squealed with excitement. "This is Calem! We grew up together in Vaniville Town!"

"You did?" Clemont stammered in shock. "Talk about a coincidence!"

Calem found himself laughing. "You're telling me! I just was trying to help, but I didn't think the person I'd be helping would be my best friend!" He held out his fist to Serena, who playfully bumped the sides of it with her own in the way children would share a secret handshake. "I can't believe I ran into you!"

"Same here!" she replied. "After you left on your journey, I was sure I'd never see you again until you came back to Vaniville Town!"

Ash, who had been holding up his hand to Calem for a handshake let his arm drop to his side. "Wait a sec, you called each other 'Yvonne' and 'Xavier', right?" he asked. "Where's that from?"

Calem smiled at Ash with white, sparkling teeth. "Well, Xavier's my middle name, and Yvonne's hers," he explained. "We were neighbors and best friends in Vaniville Town, so we started calling each other by our middle names."

"Best friends, huh?" Ash said, leaning back, his face set with an expression of dull surprise.

"Pi-kachu."

* * *

The group was headed back towards the Pokémon Center, Serena and Calem taking the lead, chatting together with Clemont and Bonnie close behind, listening to insights into Serena's past. Ash was close by, as well, also listening, but he was taking up the rear of the group.

Calem turned his attention to his friend once more. "You know, I didn't even know you left home until I saw you performing on PokéVision. I thought you were still in training to be a Rhyhorn Racer!"

"You've seen my performances?" Serena laughed, her nervousness on her face. "I hope you saw the good ones."

He shrugged. "Well, you know I'm trying to become a great fashion designer," he said. "I've been watching Showcases to see where the fashions are heading. Mostly on PokéVision, but I've caught a few live, too. Imagine my surprise when Serena Yvonne Gabena stepped on stage with her Fennekin!"

Serena paled at the mention of Braixen's preevolved form. "So the showcase you saw was…"

Calem gave her a regretful smile. "Yeah… the Coumarine Showcase."

Serena's mind was sent back to that day, so many months ago, where she had participated in her first Pokémon Showcase. The experience of Fennekin tripping on its ribbon was one she would remember forever. "That uh…"

"To be honest," Calem continued, "I thought you'd go home after that. I mean, you know how much stuff we did back then that you just gave up on! I could hardly believe that I saw you in Dendemille Town with that new hairstyle." He smiled. "It looks good on you."

Serena's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Uh, thanks!" she said. "I thought it was time for a change, so I decided to cut my hair!"

Calem looked Serena up and down. "Your whole outfit looks great! You're still my friend from back then with your eye for style. Where'd you get that jacket?"

Serena did a little twirl as they continued walking. "I made it myself, actually! I took my old outfit and transformed it into something new! I guess my whole updated look is kind of about transformation!"

"You were always handy with a sewing needle," he said, impressed. "I guess that ribbon's your touch, too, then? It's a really great contrast to the rest of the outfit."

"Actually," Serena said, blushing a little, "the ribbon was a gift from Ash."

Calem cocked an eyebrow. "A gift, huh? And since I've already met Clemont and Bonnie, then that must mean…?"

Serena nodded. "Yeah! That's him! That's Ash! He's the one I met back at camp!"

Ash took a few steps forward at the mention of his name. "Yeah! That's me! Nice to meetcha, Calem!"

Calem looked Ash up and down when he approached. "So you're Ash, huh? I thought you lived in Kanto. What are you doing all the way out here?"

Ash pumped his fist. "I'm challenging the Kalos League! I'm one badge away from entering, and I'm gonna win it, too! That's the next step towards my dream of being a Pokémon Master!"

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu chimed in from Ash's shoulder.

"Is that so?" Calem asked, sounding skeptical. "So do you just let your Pikachu ride on your shoulder like that?"

Ash blinked, as if the question of where Pikachu rode never entered his mind. He smiled gently at Calem. "Pikachu's my best buddy, so it gets to travel however it likes!" As he said this, he raised a hand to scratch Pikachu under his chin, eliciting a sound of joy from the Electric-Type.

"Aren't you worried about it shedding, or its little paws tearing your clothes?" Calem asked.

"No way," Ash said with a grin. "Pikachu's my best friend! We always travel like this!"

Calem shrugged. "Well, _Yvonne_ is _my_ best friend, and I know that she takes her appearance very seriously. People like to look good because they feel good about themselves and want to show it. Guys that don't take care of their appearance usually have low self-esteem."

Ash found himself frowning. "I take care of myself just fine!" Pikachu, matching Ash's expression, chimed in as well. "And my self-esteem is really high, too!"

"When was the last time you combed your hair?" Calem asked, sneering. "It looks like you just wake up every day and throw that hat on."

"And what's the matter with that?" Ash shot back, leaning towards Calem. "Just because my hair's a little messy doesn't mean I'm not happy with how things are!"

"Guys, cut it out!" Serena said, stepping between them. She placed a hand on each of their chests, pushing them apart. "There's no reason to fight like this. Everyone does things a little differently, right? That's no reason to argue."

The Palletonian sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry, Serena. Sorry, Calem."

"I'm sorry, too," Calem said. "I just met up with my best friend and here I am, picking fights with your boyfriend."

Serena's face quickly darkened to the same red shade as her jacket. "A-Ash isn't my boyfriend!" she sputtered in flustered protest.

Ash's brown eyes shot between the two of them, confused. "Huh? What was that?"

"He's just pulling your leg!" Serena quickly explained, the embarrassed steam almost visible from her ears. "A joke, _right_ , Xavier?!"

Calem chuckled. "Yeah, sorry. I guess I shouldn't say things that _aren't true_." The emphasis on those words lingered in the air a bit.

Bonnie shrugged. "This is starting to get kinda old…" she said, breaking the tension.

Ash crossed his arms. "So what is your story, anyway?" he asked. "You're a Pokémon Trainer, but you really wanna be a fashion designer? What gives?"

Calem gave his black hair a gentle toss. "Well, my parents were really strong Pokémon trainers. I want to focus on fashion, but they said that a journey would be good for me. It would help me grow as a person as well as give me inspiration for my designs." He grinned. "I can't say they're wrong. I've earned 6 badges so far, so I think I'll enter the Kalos League."

Ash frowned. "Six, huh? Well, I've earned _seven_ badges so far."

Calem shrugged. "Well, I'm hardly a pro," he responded. "You're the one who wants to be a Pokémon Master, right?"

While Ash clenched his teeth, Clemont, who had been starting to lag behind, finally caught up. Having missed the most recent exchange between the party, he asked. "So you and Serena have known each other for a long time, right?"

Calem nodded. "Yeah. We grew up right next door to each other in Vaniville Town. We spent so much time together that they called us the Inseparable XY."

"Inseparable XY?" Ash parroted, trying to imagine it in his mind's eye, his arms still crossed.

"XY is from Xavier and Yvonne, right?" Bonnie asked. "You two must be super close!"

"We are!" Serena said. "Goodness, we used to get into so much trouble when we were kids! I think my favorite time was when we tried to sneak all the way to Santalune City!"

Calem laughed. "Aw, geez…" he said, rubbing the back of his head. "You have to bring up that one?"

"Ooh, you gotta tell me all about it!" Bonnie cheered. "Tell me, tell me, tell me right now!"

Serena giggled. "Well, let's see. It all started with me trying to get out of Rhyhorn Racing practice again…"

* * *

 _A young Serena, a few years older than she was at Summer camp, nodded emphatically to her Mom in the comfortable living room of her home in Vaniville Town. "Trust me! I'm going to do some long distance practice!" She was dressed in her Rhyhorn Racing track suit, her long honey-blonde hair trailing down her back._

 _Grace, Serena's mother, frowned. Her hair and clothes were the same as they had always been. "The last time I let you practice on your own, you and the Skye boy were using Rhyhorn to pick Pecha Berries."_

" _But Mom, you liked that cobbler, right?"_

" _It doesn't matter if it was good. You need to practice."_

" _Miss G," A young Calem said as he stepped forward, "I'll make sure Yvonne will practice Rhyhorn Racing. You have my word." Calem was dressed in a deep blue tracksuit, and his black hair neatly parted in the middle combed and covering his ears._

 _The veteran Rhyhorn Racer sighed. "Well, it would be good for you to get some practice on unfamiliar terrain. Not every race is going to be on a standard track like we have here in Vaniville Town."_

" _Right! That's all we're doing," Serena said, her long locks waving as she nodded._

 _Grace sighed. "Well, as long as you promise not to leave Vaniville Town. I trust you to make sure she doesn't leave, Calem."_

 _Calem gave her a thumbs up. "You can count on me!"_

 _With that, Serena left her mother's house and walked into the yard with Calem close behind. Serena approached Rhyhorn, who looked up at her with a sleepy expression._

" _Hey, Rhyhorn. We're going on a little trip, and we need your help to make sure we can make it there and back in time, okay?"_

 _Rhyhorn looked at her, and then at Calem, and then back to Serena. It nuzzled her sweetly and nodded. "Rhyhorn."_

" _Great!" Serena beamed. She climbed onto Rhyhorn's back, and gave Calem a hand on its back behind her._

 _Calem held onto her. "We're going to ride all the way to Santalune City this time, right?" he asked._

 _She nodded. "We're going to check out hat store! I can't wait to see what they have on sale!"_

 _Calem grinned. "I can't wait! Santalune City's always on the cutting edge of headgear fashion! I bet we'll find something great there!"_

" _Ab."_

 _Looking up, the two children saw standing on the fence, a black-skinned Pokémon with white fur covering its body. A huge, scythe-like horn jutted from the Pokémon's head. Of course, Calem recognized his parent's Pokémon immediately. "Absol! What are you doing up there?"_

" _Absol." It glared at them._

" _We'll be fine," he protested. "You worry too much._

 _The Disaster Pokémon just glared, watching._

 _Calem rolled his eyes. "Let's go, Yvonne. Absol's just being a spoilsport."_

 _Serena nodded and kicked at Rhyhorn's sides and the Spikes Pokémon began to obediently walk down the path that lead away from Serena's house and out of Vaniville Town. Vaniville Town wasn't very far from the next nearby town, Aquacorde Town, with only a small, paved path dividing them. Aquacorde was a small town on the river, only slightly smaller than Vaniville Town. Neither place had their own Pokémon Center, and both had very little traffic, due to not being a stop on any route to a Pokémon Gym._

 _The duo riding the Rhyhorn rode through Aquacorde Town, gaining only a few pointing fingers from children and a few "how cute"s from adults. This wasn't the first time they had rode to Aquacorde Town, but it was the first time they planned on moving through it. Past Aquacorde Town was the Santalune Forest, which separated Aquacorde and Vaniville Town from Santalune City and its magnificent hat shop._

" _Just through here and we'll get to the hat shop," Calem said, barely containing his excitement._

" _I can't wait either," Serena cheered, leading Rhyhorn into the forest._

 _The thick leafy canopy overhead blocked out most of the sunlight as the duo rode into the tall grass. The tall trees of the forest loomed over the Rhyhorn and its small riders, filling Calem with a feeling of dread. He looked around himself, leaning a bit more into Serena. "Hey, Yvonne? Are you sure it'll be safe?" he asked. "I mean… lots of wild Pokémon live in Santalune Forest. Won't they attack us?"_

 _Serena waved off his worry. "It'll be fine, Xavier," she told him. "We have Rhyhorn with us! And it's so big and strong, nothing'll try to mess with us!"_

 _Calem seemed to relax. "Well… if you're sure."_

 _Just then, a loud screech came out from beneath Rhyhorn. The Rock-and-Ground-Type stopped walking and stepped backwards. A small Pokémon with a yellow, segmented body leapt from the grass at them, aiming the stinger on its head at them. "Weedle!" it said._

" _Oh, Rhyhorn must have stepped on it!" Calem said, covering his hand with his mouth._

 _Serena frowned. "We're sorry, Weedle. We're just passing through here!"_

 _Weedle, however, cared little for their plans and cried out again. "WEEDLE!"_

 _An ominous buzzing then surrounded Serena and Calem, and Rhyhorn took a step backwards. The two children looked up, and many pairs of red eyes began lighting up in the forest. A chant of "Spear, Spear" joined the buzzing._

 _Calem swallowed. "Y-Yvonne, I think we should run!"_

 _Serena nodded and pulled on Rhyhorn. "C-C'mon, let's go!"_

 _Rhyhorn began to back away as the red eyes drew closer, revealing the floating forms of flying insects. At the end of two of their forelegs, as well as on the bottom of their bodies were huge stingers. Five of these bee-like Pokémon floated closer, and Rhyhorn turned and began to charge away, back towards Aquacorde Town._

 _Serena and Calem held onto Rhyhorn as it charged through the brush, completely out of control._

" _Rhyhorn, please stop!" Serena cried out._

 _The Beedrill were giving chase, and they began raising their stingers up and firing tiny glowing purple needles at Rhyhorn. The wild and unpredictable Rhyhorn managed to evade the Poison Sting with luck alone._

" _Yvonne! I don't think we're gonna make it!" Calem cried out, holding tightly onto her._

" _Don't give up 'til it's over!" Serena shouted back, holding tightly onto Rhyhorn. "Rhyhorn, listen! Please, we've gotta get back home!"_

 _Serena pulled on Rhyhorn's head again, and Rhyhorn responded, steering with Serena's direction. The pursuing Beedrill fired more Poison Sting their way, but Serena guided Rhyhorn to evade the attack._

 _Rhyhorn finally broke out of the treeline of Santalune Forest and was on the path back to Aquacorde Town, but the Beedrill were drawing even closer and closer. Three of the Poison Bee Pokémon raced ahead of them before turning, back. They raised their glowing forearm stingers and readied an attack._

" _Rhyhorn, watch out!" Serena cried out, trying to steer it away from the attack._

 _Just out of sight, a whip of wicked energy snapped at the backs of the trio of Beedrill, knocking them to the ground. Serena and Calem let out a gasp as Rhyhorn raced past the Bug-Types. "What just happened…?" Serena asked._

" _Absol!"_

 _The Disaster Pokémon leapt from the shade and ran alongside Rhyhorn, giving Calem a look that seemed to communicate "I told you so" to the boy. Calem was too happy to see his friend to care. "Thank you so much, Absol! You really saved us!"_

" _Thanks so much, Absol!" Serena added._

" _Ab. Sol," it nodded as they rode back into Aquacorde Town._

 _They returned to Vaniville Town very quickly after that, and they found Grace waiting for them there, as well as Mister and Misses Skye, Calem's parents. Calem's parents had black hair, like their son. Mister Skye's green eyes were scowling at his son as the children rode up, but Misses Skye's grey eyes were no less harsh._

" _We were worried sick!" chastised Grace. "I should have figured that you two were going to run off together. This is the last time I trust you about unsupervised training, young lady!"_

" _As for you," Mister Skye said, "you're grounded for a month! We don't want you to be a bad influence on that Gabena girl any more than you have!"_

 _Serena looked up "But-"_

" _I know," Calem interrupted her. "Sorry,Dad." He turned to his friend, next to him, smiling. "Sorry, Yvonne."_

 _Serena paused and nodded. "I-It's okay, Xavier. I'm sorry, too. We're a team, right?"_

 _He held up a fist, and Serena bumped the sides of it with her own. "Of course!" Calem exclaimed. "And we're always gonna be a team!"_

* * *

"Wow, what a great story!" Bonnie said. Dedenne and Squishy chimed in their agreement.

Serena giggled. "And that's just one of the stories about the Inseparable XY!" she said. "We really got into a lot of trouble back then, huh?"

Calem scratched the back of his head. "Yeah. Thankfully Absol was usually there to bail us out." He smiled at Serena. "I'm so glad to see you again, Yvonne. I've missed you since I left on my journey."

Serena smiled back. "I missed you, too, Xavier."

"Hey, uh!" Ash interrupted, his thoughts still jumbled together. "Serena! Maybe you could help me train after we get lunch?"

Serena blinked, confused. "Ash, you never ask me to train… wouldn't Clemont be better?"

Clemont nodded. "There are a few more experiments I'd like to run with Greninja. I'm sure we could hit them when we reach the Pokémon Center!"

"That'll give me some extra time to catch up with my best friend," Calem said, smiling at Serena. "I bet you've got a lot of stories. The two Vanivillites walked ahead along the path, with Ash standing still watching them.

Bonnie tugged on Ash's jacket. "Hey, Ash? Is something wrong?

He shook his head. "Let's just keep goin'," he said before walking off behind the Calem and Serena.

Clemont and Bonnie looked at each other, their faces filled with worry, before setting off after Ash themselves.

* * *

 **"Alright, everyone! Let's go together! Towards our next adventure!"**

"Yvonne, there's something I want to ask you..."

"What is it, Xavier...?"

"After I leave this place... can we travel together?"

"You want to travel with us? That's great! The more the merrier!"

"No, I... want you to travel with me."

"You want me to travel with you... and leave my friends?"

 **"Next time, Pokémon XY &Z: The ABC's of Love! Farewell, Serena!? A Promise Made in the Past!"**

 **"Everyone, please catch 'em all!"**


	5. Farewell, Serena!

**Thanks to Pokemon fan, FantasyLover88, nico2883, DrafteeDragon, ultimateCCC, Amethyst The Purple Dragon for reviewing the latest chapter! I hope you all enjoy this next chapter!**

 **Chapter 5: "Farewell, Serena!? A Promise Made in the Past!"**

* * *

"I'm gonna go freshen up," Serena said after she had dropped off her Pokémon with Nurse Joy. "I've been wanting a nice shower since yesterday."

"We'll catch up-"

"We'll catch up with you in the cafeteria," Calem said, interrupting Ash. He gave Serena a wave and turned back towards the rest of the group, who had also left their Pokémon with Nurse Joy. As the Performer left, Calem looked at Ash, who was rolling his now-Pikachu-free shoulder uncomfortably. "I figured with the way your stomach was growling, you'd tell her that anyway, right?"

Ash frowned. "I'm not even hungry right now."

Just then, Ash's stomach growled embarrassingly loudly.

The stern look on his face didn't twitch. "...maybe I'm a little hungry."

Clemont and Bonnie sighed loudly. Calem shrugged. "Well, that's your deal. _I_ am hungry, and I told Yvonne that's where we'd be. So I'm going to meet her there." With that, he turned and walked away, towards the cafeteria, with a spring in his step as he walked.

As he left, Bonnie nudged Ash with her elbow. "You seem preeetty jealous, Ash."

Ash balked. "What? Jealous?" He crossed his arms. "No. It's just weird that he calls Serena his best friend when we've never even heard of him. And that whole Yvonne thing… her name is Serena!"

Bonnie shrugged. "Whatever you say."

Clemont rubbed his chin. "I suppose it is weird that we never heard of Calem before, but we rarely speak about our pasts from before we started travelling together, correct? I suppose we all have our secrets."

Ash pulled on the bill of his hat and stomped towards the cafeteria.

* * *

Serena stepped into the cafeteria, looking for Ash and the others. There was a round table where the familiar four were sitting. Ash was tearing through the pile of food he had stacked on his plate (mostly rice with a brown sauce sloppily covering his food), while next to him, Clemont and Bonnie had very modest, very neat sandwiches. Calem, who sat across from Clemont's plate, looked like a neater version of Ash's, with the rice and sauce separated.

Serena grabbed a sandwich as she exited the queue and took a seat between Ash and Calem. "Hey guys! What's up?"

Clemont smiled at her as she sat down. "Calem was just telling us another story about the both of you as children," he said. "I had no idea you could be such a troublemaker, Serena!"

Serena blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, hanging out with Xavier was always a great way to get out of Rhyhorn Race training, and we have a lot of similar interests! It's no wonder we got so close!"

"Well, we've had our fair share of trouble on our journey, too," Ash said, interrupting. "Hey, Clemont! Remember that time Team Rocket pretended to be us and got us in trouble?"

Clemont sighed. "I wish I could forget," he said, poking his sandwich with a finger. "They tricked me into making a robot for them…"

Ash swallowed. "Oh, uh… right."

Calem cocked an eyebrow. "Team Rocket?"

"They're really bad people!" Bonnie said, leaning over the table. "They're always doing nasty stuff like trying to steal other people's Pokémon! They've been following Ash around since basically forever trying to steal Pikachu!"

Calem took a sip of his coffee. "I see…" He looks at Serena, eager to change the subject. "So, where is your group heading next?"

"Snowbelle City," Serena says. "Ash is one badge away from the Kalos League, and that's where he's going to earn it!"

Ash pumped his arm, a little fire restored in him. "Yeah! We've been training hard! When we get there, that badge is as good as mine!"

Calem put down his cup. "That's a shame…" he said. "I'm heading to Santalune City, to earn the badge there."

"Oh, well Viola's really tough," Serena smiled back. "You better get ready! She even beat Ash in their first match!"

"Actually," he responded, "I was hoping you'd join me, Yvonne."

Serena blinked, confusion washing over her face. Clemont, Bonnie, and Ash looked at her as well. "Join you?" she asked.

"You remember when I asked you before I left on my journey, right?" he said. "Now that you're a performer, you have something you can do while we travel together."

Serena leaned back, away from Calem. "Uh… you want me to just stop travelling with Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie and come with you?"

He nodded, flashing a grin. "Yeah! We'll be the Inseparable XY again, Yvonne! Just you and me! What do you say?"

Serena's eyes darted toward her friends. While Clemont was adjusting his glasses, and Bonnie had a look of sheer disappointment on her face, it was hard for her to read Ash's response to the question. He had his arms crossed, closing himself off, but his eyes wavered as they met Serena's. The performer gave Calem an apologetic look. "Uh, sorry, Xavier… can you give me a little more time? This is a kind of big decision to make on a whim…"

Calem shot a glance towards Ash before smiling at Serena again. "Sure, Yvonne. I can wait until tomorrow."

A chime play through the Pokémon Center before a voice came over an intercom. "Calem Skye, your Pokémon are fully healed!"

"That's my cue," Calem said, standing up. He doffed his hat at Serena. "See you later, Yvonne."

Serena watched him walk away with a frown on her face. "Xavier…"

"You're not going, right?" Ash asked, leaning into Serena's face.

Serena leaned back, "Uh… I… I dunno…"

Ash slumped in his seat. "You don't know?"

"Wow," Bonnie said, leaning over on the table so she could see Serena. "You and Calem musta been super close if you're really thinking about travelling with him insteada us!"

"Bonnie!" Clemont chastised her. "If Serena wants to travel with an old friend of her's, that should be her decision!"

Serena shrugged. "Xavier and I were really close, but I haven't seen him in so long… I guess I didn't realize how different we really were when you got down to it."

"Different?" Ash asked. "Different how?"

Serena put her elbows on the table and put her chin in her hands. "Calem… Seeing him reminds me of how I used to be. I mean, even the day he asked me to go with him on his journey shows how I used to act and think…"

* * *

" _You're leaving?" Serena asked. The girl was sitting on her Rhyhorn, dressed in her Rhyhorn Race gear. She had just run a few more practice drills as the sun was setting. Her long hair was up in a ponytail, and she had a look of confusion on her face._

" _Yeah," Calem said, looking ready and dressed for travel. He pulled on his red cap a bit. "I know I'm not going to become a fashion designer if I stay here in Vaniville Town," he said. "I'm heading to Professor Sycamore's lab to choose a Pokémon tomorrow."_

" _That sounds like fun," Serena said. "Much better than another day of Rhyhorn Racing…"_

" _You could come with me," Calem offered._

 _Serena looked at him from the back of her Rhyhorn. "Travel? With you?" she asked._

 _Calem slipped a hand into his jacket pocket. "Yeah! It'll just be me and you on the road together. No parents, no responsibility, nothing but travelling!"_

 _Serena balked. "That almost sounds too good to be true…"_

 _Calem smiled at her. "Well, what do you say?" he asked, his hand fidgeting with something in jacket pocket._

 _Serena just shrugged. "I mean, it's a nice offer, but what would I do out there?" Serena asked. "I seriously doubt that my Mom would just let me go on a journey to slack off. She expects me to be a Rhyhorn Racer."_

" _Is that what you wanna do for the rest of your life, Serena? Be a Rhyhorn Racer?"_

 _Serena looked down, shrugging. "Well… I don't know what I'm gonna do. It's not like I hate Rhyhorn Racing… Maybe doing it won't be so bad…"_

" _Yvonne, are you sure?" Calem asked, a hint of desperation in his voice._

 _Serena shook her head. "I'm sorry, Xavier… I just don't think the travelling is right for me right now."_

 _Calem jammed his other hand into his other jacket pocket. "Oh. Well, okay. That's cool," he said, irritation in his voice. "Well… let's keep in touch, okay? If you change your mind, we can still travel together."_

 _Serena smiled. "Okay. If I change my mind, I'll let you know."_

* * *

"So he's hoping you changed your mind?" Bonnie asked.

"I guess I never realized how important it was to him that we travelled together," she said with a shrug. "I stayed home, and a few weeks later, I saw Ash jumping off Prism Tower on TV." She turned her attention to Ash, smiling. "When I recognized him, I knew it was a sign that I needed to leave home. And I guess I got so caught up in our adventures together, I sorta forgot about him."

"You did mention that you left home only to return the handkerchief that Ash lent you as a child," Clemont said, leaning back in his seat. "If you had gone with Calem, we probably would not have met."

"Clemont's right," Ash said, perking up for the first time all afternoon. "If we hadn't met up again, I might still be struggling to get the Bug Badge!"

Serena giggled. "I don't think so, Ash. You'd have picked yourself up with or without me, eventually. You never, ever give up."

Ash laughed and scratched his nose. "Well, I'm glad we could become such great friends, Serena. I-uh…" He stuttered for a moment before scratching his cheek shyly. "Well… I mean, I'm so happy you decided to come on this journey with us."

Serena put a hand on her chest, over the blue ribbon she wore. "Well, Xavier might be my best friend, but you guys are something more than that to me. We're like a family. Clemont is like the older brother I've never had, and Bonnie is the cute little sister I've always wanted."

Bonnie sneered at Serena, showing a toothy grin. "And Ash?" she asked, her voice in a sing-song tone.

Serena's face turned red as she realized that Bonnie had just closed a trap around her. "Ash? Wh-Why, he's, uh… he's uh…"

The familiar Pokémon Center jingle once again played and the intercom came on. "Ash Ketchum! Serena Gabena! Clemont Curie! Your Pokémon are once again fighting fit! Please pick them up at your earliest convienence!"

Serena rapidly stood up. "L-Let's get our Pokémon! I'm sure they miss us!" With a tomato-red face, she practically bolted from the table and out the door.

Ash stood up and pumped his fists. "Right! Let's go get Pikachu and the others!" he said before he ran after Serena, out the cafeteria.

Clemont stood up. "Why are they in such a rush?"

Bonnie shrugged. "Big bro, you really need to open your eyes."

"Dene," Dedenne agreed.

* * *

While her friends slept, Serena stood in the dark hallway in the Pokémon Center with her Pokémon standing with her. Braixen and Sylveon stood next to her, with Pancham standing on her shoulder.

In her hand, the focus of her intense gaze, was a simple paper card with a name, a phone number, and the emblem of the Pokémon Performer's Association. The card was given to her by the former Kalos Queen, Palermo, who had offered to take her under her wing and train her to be a performer worthy of being Kalos Queen.

An offer Serena had turned down.

She looked at the card again, her conversation with Palermo playing in her mind once again. " _Press forward until you are satisfied with yourself,"_ Palermo had told her. " _And once you're satisfied, call me."_

"Am I satisfied?" she asked herself, her Pokémon giving her worried looks. "Have I journeyed enough with Ash and the others that it's time for me to move on? Have I found my answer?"

"Calem's a great friend. I know his offer is just because he wants to catch up with me and for it to be like old times…" Serena said to her Pokémon, though she was mostly talking to herself. "But… I'm not sure I want it to be like old times. I'm definitely different than I was when I met Braixen, or reunited with Ash. Back then, I never finished anything I started. I always quit part way through." She kneeled down and started to pet Braixen and Sylveon. "But now? I'm going to finish this journey with Ash, and then I'll find my answer. Then I'll be satisfied with myself." She smiled, still holding Palermo's card. "So that's my decision."

The door to the room she was sharing with Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie popped open, and Ash's face poked out into the hallway. "Serena? What're you doing out here?"

Serena quickly slipped the card with Palermo's number behind her back. "Uh, I was just thinking, Ash. About what Xavier said today."

Ash's expression dropped. "You're giving this a lot of thought, arencha?"

She nodded. "Well, I still have to tell Calem my decision…" she said, looking at Ash. "But you guys don't have to worry. I'm going to keep travelling with you guys. I can't miss you winning the Kalos League after all!"

Ash's face lit up with a smile that almost lit up the dark hallway. "Great! And I know I'll win with you there cheering me on!" he beamed. He paused and reeled in his exuberance. "I mean… I'm glad that you're gonna keep travelling with us. Thanks for making this journey so fun, Serena."

Serena giggled. "Right! I'm so happy to be here with you, too."

Ash let out a yawn. "Well.. I only popped out here because I saw you weren't in bed, and I got worried you had left. Since I have nothing to worry about, I'm gonna get some sleep."

Serena nodded. "I'll come to bed, too. After all, we'll probably need the rest since we're going to be leaving early tomorrow!"

* * *

 **"Alright, everyone! Let's go together! Towards our next adventure!"**

"Yvonne, so you're coming with me?"

"Actually, Calem, I-"

"Serena! What're you doing here?"

"What's she doing her? What're _you_ doing here?"

"Why are you worried about this?"

"Why am I...? Why, I oughta..."

 **"Next time, Pokémon XY &Z: The ABC's of Love! A Matter of Pride! Ash VS Calem!"**

 **"Everyone, go catch'em all!"**


	6. A Matter of Pride!

**Thank you to everyone who's been reviewing my story, including Amethyst The Purple Dragon, MeganRouth, Pokemon fan, ultimateCCC, Chaos239, DrafteeDragon, and FantasyLover88! Draftee, the Curie surname was actually lent to me by Clemont superfan UndercityRezident ( check out his tumblr! We're super close friends!) and I use it with his permission. It's just a tiny detail, right?**

 **Anyway, the bad news is at this current point in time, I am not on track to have next week's chapter finished in time for posting on Thursday. I have real life stuff that's just getting in the way right now, so I ask for your patience. I'll try to keep things on track, but my readers need to know.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6: A Matter of Pride! Ash VS Calem!**

Calem was standing in the lobby of the Pokémon Center. It was still pretty early; the lobby was pretty empty, and no one had eaten breakfast yet.

But Serena knew what she had to say. She took a deep breath and approached her friend.

Calem looked up at Serena as she approached, his grey eyes lighting up. "Yvonne! There you are! I was wondering when you'd show up." He beamed a smile at her. "So, are you ready?"

Serena sighed. "Well… Xavier…" she started, not really sure how to say it. "I've given it a lot of thought, and you're a really great friend, but I've decided that I need to finish my journey with Ash and the others before I move on to the next step."

As Serena spoke, Calem's bright, happy expression clouded over as the reality of what Serena was saying began to set in. His smile dropped open. "Yvonne... you mean, you're not coming with me…?"

Serena bowed. "I'm so sorry! I know you've wanted to travel with me for a really long time, but Ash and the others have helped me so much on my journey, it wouldn't be fair to them to just leave before the end."

Calem held his hands up near his chest. "Yvonne, be reasonable," he said, his voice shaking. "You want to become Kalos Queen, right? You're not going to get anything done by just following _Ash_ around." Ash's name was dipped in a much harsher emotion than the shaky uncertainty that characterized the rest of Calem's words.

Serena stood up and looked at Calem. "I don't think that's right," she said, smiling gently. "After all, one of the things Ash taught me on my journey is that nothing I do is a waste of time. I'll be able to use anything I learn by watching him in my Showcases, so even just following him and finishing our journey together will be helpful to me."

Calem narrowed his gaze. "Oh, I bet you're going to be watching him closely…" he said, his words now dripping venom.

The performer raised an eyebrow. "Uh, excuse me?" She swallowed, a familiar nervous feeling rising in her chest.

"Ash, Ash, Ash," Calem mocked, rolling his eyes at her. "You're so transparent!" He glared at her. "You've been hung up on Ash ever since we were little!"

Serena took a step backwards. She could feel the nervousness manifest itself in her face, painting her cheeks scarlet. "X-Xavier…?!"

"You have a crush on him!" Calem said, stepping forward, pointing a finger towards her. "You've had this school girl crush on him since he gave you that handkerchief!"

The terror was written all over her face. "Y-You… y-you know… how did you…?"

"How did I know?" Calem asked, stomping forward. "I listened to you talk, that's how! Ever since we were kids, you're always saying that phrase he said to you. You've made it your own little mantra!"

Serena took another step back. "Xavier…?"

"I've spent so many years being your best friend," he said, the anger in his eyes transforming their soft grey into a hard, cold gaze. "We spent so much time together, and we had so many great times. But I was never able to be more important to you than Ash was. I couldn't even compete with a guy you had met once!"

"Xavier," Serena said, clenching her hand into a fist over the blue ribbon on her chest, "you're my best friend… H-How I feel about A-Ash is different…" Her hands were shaking as she spoke. "It's not better or worse, it's just different... "

Calem stood up, exhaling. "...and he doesn't know, does he?"

Serena whined. "It's-, I mean-"

"I knew it when I said he was your boyfriend and you quickly covered that up," he said. "I'm honestly surprised. Even in the short time we've been reunited, I could tell you had strong feelings for him. Ash must not really understand, or he just doesn't care."

"Ash is just really focused on his dream," Serena said, finding her confidence as she stepped forward. "He might not have noticed, but it's probably because he's just focused on becoming a Pokémon Master and winning the Kalos League! He cares, but he's just not… looking for a girlfriend right now…!"

Calem clenched his teeth. "Keep telling yourself that. If he doesn't know after travelling together for this long, he'll never understand."

"But that's… Ash is-"

"Serena!"

Serena froze, turning to see Ash running up from behind her, Pikachu on his shoulder. He stopped a few steps away from Serena. "What's goin' on?" he asked. "I thought you said you were gonna travel with us?"

"Ash, it's not what it looks like," Serena said, her voice tense, the blush fading as she turned her attention to the situation at hand. "I was just telling Xavier that I wasn't going with him."

"Our talk has gone beyond that," Calem said gruffly. "But I guess you don't want to tell him that, do you?"

Ash stared at Serena, confused. "What're you talkin' about? Serena, what's up?"

"Ash, it's not-"

"It's not like you'd understand," Calem said, stepping forward to stand between Ash and Serena. "Maybe I just get Yvonne better than you, since she's my best friend."

Ash clenched his fist and grit his teeth. "She's _my_ best friend!" he said, stepping forward in challenge! "And her name is Serena!"

Clemont and Bonnie came up through the hallway behind Ash, alarmed at Ash raising his voice like that. "Ash, what is going on here?" Clemont asked. "Why are you and Calem shouting at each other?"

Bonnie stood back, a sly grin on her face. Dedenne matched her grin from the pochette.

" _Yvonne_ is your best friend, huh?" Calem said with a scowl, placing emphasis on her name as if to rub it in Ash's face. "You two have nothing in common. I mean, look at you! _Yvonne_ always dresses to impress and takes good care of herself. You? You look like you just rolled out of bed, and you're wearing what looks like a tacky designer knock-off."

Ash growled at Calem, baring his teeth. "My Mom made these clothes for me."

"Oh, so your hack Mommy dressed you to pretend to be a Pokémon Trainer? No wonder they look bad."

Ash balled up his fist and lunged at Calem, aiming to strike the Vaniville trainer for his insult. But before he could reach him, Clemont's Aipom Arm reached out and grabbed Ash by the back of his jacket, restraining him as he swung his fist through the air. "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Ash roared with anger. Pikachu growled as well, its cheeks sparking.

"Ash, calm down!" Clemont shouted, pulling back on him with his machine. "You are not thinking clearly!"

Serena wanted to say something, but she stepped back, hesitating, unsure of exactly what she could say.

Calem, however, took notice. "This display of violence has really bothered Yvonne, so why don't we settle this scuffle with a Pokémon Battle?"

"A Pokémon battle?" Bonnie asked. "Why bring Pokémon into this?"

"I accept," Ash said, his arms slacking as he focused his gaze on Calem.

"But Ash?" Serena asked, stepping closer to him. "Why are you going to battle him? Just because he asked?"

Ash kept his intense, angry gaze focused on Calem.

"He insulted my Mom and acts like he owns you! I'm not going to let him get away with that!"

Calem glared back. "You're the one who acts like Yvonne belongs to you! You've been acting like a jealous kid ever since you learned that we're friends. You can't handle someone taking anything away from you, can you? It's like she's just a possession to you, to help make you feel better."

"Serena is my friend," Ash fired back. "You're the one who can't deal with the fact that she wants to travel with us instead of you!"

Calem grit his teeth. "Are we going to battle or not? "

Ash looked at Serena, then back to Calem. "Serena already decided to come with us. I'm not gonna fight you over her. But I _will_ fight you for insulting my Mom and my pride." Ash began walking past Calem, not looking to anyone. "I'm gonna get some breakfast first. We'll battle after that."

Serena put her hand over her chest, watching him walk away. "Oh, Ash…"

* * *

Back behind the Pokémon Center, the sun was shining brightly overhead, with not a cloud in the sky, a beautiful, early autumn day. On any other day, it'd be perfect for travelling and camping out.

Ash stretched his arms as he stood in tyne trainer's box on his end of the battlefield, with Pikachu stretching his own arms beside his trainer. His mind was positively cloudy, overcast with thoughts of irritation over Calem. ' _Who does this jerk think he is? He comes in and obviously tries to take Serena away and I'm the one treating her like a possession?! And then he insults my Mom?! He's not gettin' away with that!'_

Calem, on the opposite side, stared down at Ash, running his fingers through his hair. ' _What does Yvonne even see in this clod? His style is awful and he's clearly too stupid to realize that she likes him. He doesn't deserve that affection… and I'll prove that I'm beget than him once and for all!'_

Bonnie leaned back. "It sure is tense around here…" Dedenne, who was sitting in her lap, chirped in agreement.

Serena sat as close to the middle of the sidelines as she could. Despite Ash saying otherwise, she felt right in the middle of the battle. Ash and Calem were both important friends to her, and this battle felt like she was the cause of it. The two boys had been rubbing each other the wrong way since yesterday. She sighed. Hopefully today would go better.

"Hey, Serena!" Ash called to her. "Make sure you and Bonnie cheer extra loud for me, okay?"

"Yvonne," Calem shouted, "you're gonna root for me, right? We have Vaniville Town's pride at stake!"

Serena just sighed. "Well, I hope this battle just gets it out of their system…"

Clemont stepped up at midfield. "Alright, so this battle between Ash and Calem is about to get under way." He turned to Ash. "How many Pokémon do you plan on using?"

Ash finished stretching and stood confident. "Well, I have five! So I guess it depends on how many Pokémon Calem wants to use!"

"I have five Pokémon, myself," Calem said , his hands on his hips. "I'm alright with doing a full five-on-five battle."

Ash nodded, his arms twitching a bit. "That's fine by me! Let's get this started!"

The Gym Leader nodded. "Both trainers will use five Pokémon. Both trainers will be allowed to substitute Pokémon during the match, and the match is over when all five of one trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle."

Ash pulled a Poké Ball from his belt. "I'll start this off!" He tossed the Poké Ball high into the air. "Talonflame, I choose you!"

The Poké Ball opened, and in a bright flash of light, Ash's Scorching Pokémon descended from the sky, landing in front of Ash. He cried out as he landed, kicking dust off the ground with his wide-spread wings.

Calem pulled his own Poké Ball out of his own pocket. "Well, then my choice is Meowstic!"

Calem tossed the ball into the air, and it snapped open, unleashing the blue feline Pokémon. Meowstic stood in front of Calem, his green eyes focusing on Talonflame.

"Now," Clemont said, raising up his arm, "let the battle begin!"

"Keep an eye on my style, Ash," Calem taunted. "You might learn how to look good."

"The only going I want from you is an apology!" Ash shot back. "Talonflame, start with Flame Charge!"

"Meowstic, Fake Out!"

The falcon Pokémon lifted off the ground and quickly shot towards Meowstic, but the Constraint Pokémon stood his ground. Talonflame cloaked himself in flame, but just as he neared Meowstic, the Psychic-Type snapped both of his paws forward, snapping them together on Talonflame beak. The move startled Talonflame, who stopped his attack and flew backwards into the air.

"What just happened?" Serena asked. "What sort of attack is Fake Out?"

"Fake Out is a move that causes the opponent to flinch and stop attacking when used," Clemont explained, keeping his eyes trained on the battle. "But it only works if the opponent isn't expecting it, so it can really only be used once per match."

"Our move's next," Calem shouted. "Use Shadow Ball!"

Meowstich lifted his ears up, and began forming a shadowy sphere near them. Once the orb was about the size of Meowstic's head, he fired it at Talonflame.

"Use Steel Wing and deflect it!"

Talonflame's wings began to glow with the Steel-Type power, and with a hard flap, he knocked the Shadow Ball away from himself.

Ash grinned. "Great work, Talonflame! Now, Flame Charge!"

Talonflame dove back down at high speed at Meowstic, cloaking his body in flames. The heat from the flames fueled Talonflame's internal heat, and boosted his speed. The Scortching Pokémon charged through Meowstic, launching the Psychic-Type backwards, skidding across the ground on his hind paws.

"So that's your play, huh?" Calem said, gritting his teeth. "Well, we're not going to let you do that! Meowstic, Psyshock!"

Meowstick once again opened his ears and shot beams of hard psychic energy out towards Talonflame.

"Dodge it, Talonflame!" Ash commanded. Talonflame shot up into the air, out of the way of the Psyshock, but the beams bent towards Talonflame and chased him into the air.

"Look!" Bonnie said, pointing at the attack. "It's just like Olympia's Meowstic! That must mean…"

Serena nodded. "Right. Meowstic's ability is Keen Eye."

Ash clenched his fists, watching Talonflame dodge in the air as the Psychic move kept chasing him. "There's gotta be something we can do here…"

"Cut off Talonflame's escape!" Calem ordered. "Stop it from running!"

Meowstic manipulated the Psyshock and began circling around Talonflame, creating an cage-like structure out of the attack that quickly closed it, exploding on contact with the Fire-and-Flying-Type.

"Talonflame!" Ash called out as his Pokémon fell, eyes closed, from the smoke made by the explosion. Talonflame opened his eyes and reoriented himself, flapping his wings and regaining control. "Great! Now, Brave Bird!"

Talonflame turned the fall into a dive and wrapped himself in blue flames. Talonflame turned close to the ground and flew towards Meowstic.

"Use Thunder Wave!" Calem ordered. "Stop it in it's tracks!" Meowstic made the pulses of static electromagnetic energy in his paws before tossing them out at Talonflame, attempting to paralyze him.

"Dodge it!" Ash called out. The Thunder Wave neared Talonflame, but before it could make contact, the falcon Pokémon rolled to the side before boosting forward. "Go! Knock it into the air!"

Talonflame collided with Meowstic, causing an explosion as the blue flames damaged Meowstic as well as recoiling into Talonflame. The Fire-and-Flying-type lunged upwards with Meowstic on his wings, tossing the Constraint Pokémon into the air.

"Meowstic!" Calem called out. The Psychic-type was flipping over and over in the air before slowing, facing down towards Talonflame. "Use Psyshock now!"

Meowstic opened his ears once more and fired a blast of hard Psychic energy downwards, straight at Talonflame.

"Use Brave Bird and cut through it, Talonflame!" Ash ordered. "Let's end this!"

Talonflame once again cloaked himself in the blue flames and charged skyward at the airborne cat Pokémon. Following Ash's orders, Talonflame cut straight through the beams of Psyshock, crying out to overcome the pain as he charged straight through it and into Meowstic. Both Pokémone were caught in the ensuing mid-air explosion.

Both trainers called the names of their Pokémon as they fell from the sky, both of them crashing hard on the ground. Once the dust settled, both Pokémon were laying still, their eyes glazed over.

Clemond surveyed the scene and raised both of his arms. "Talonflame and Meowstic are both unable to battle! This match-up ends in a draw!"

Ash held up Talonflame's Poké Ball and recalled his Pokémon. "Great work, Talonflame. You take a good rest." He said, smiling at the Poké Ball.

Calem recalled his Pokémon as well. "Good job, Meowstic. I'll reward you with some brushing, later," he said, encouraging his Pokémon.

Serena looked both of them and sighed. ' _If only they could see how much they had in common rather than focusing on the parts of them that are different…_ " she thought.

Ash pulled out his next Pokémon. "Alright, Noivern! I choose you!" Throwing the Poké Ball caused the large bat-like black and purple Dragon-Type Pokémon to appear with a roar and a flap of his huge wings.

Calem shrugged. "I guess we'll have a Dragon fight, then! Altaria, you're up!"

Calem threw his next Poké Ball up, and it opened, revealing a blue bird-like Pokémon with wings that looked like clouds. "Ari!"

"Oh, that's a really cute Pokémon!" Bonnie squealed.

"It looks totally adorable!" Serena said, pulling her Pokédex out of her pocket.

She pointed her Pokédex at Calem's Pokémon and it automatically scanned for data. Shortly thereafter, an image of Altaria appeared on the screen. "Altaria, the Humming Pokémon," the Pokédex stated. "Altaria dances and wheels through the sky among billowing, cotton-like clouds. By singing melodies in its crystal-clear voice, this Pokémon makes its listeners experience dreamy wonderment."

"It sings, too?" Bonnie gushed. "So cute!"

Calem laughed. "Now, now, ladies. Maybe I'll let you pet Altaria after we win the battle!"

Ash grit his teeth. "I think Noivern is cute…" he grumbled under his breath.

Clemont raised his hands up again. "Noivern versus Altaria! Begin!"

"We'll take initiative this time," Calem said. "Altaria, use Air Slash!"

Altaria gently lifted into the air and then quickly flapped her wings together and sent a glowing blade of compressed air at Noivern.

Ash practically jumped. "Dodge it and attack with Acrobatics!"

Noivern lifted off, himself, and began to glow blue. He charged towards Altaria, darting left and right in the air, easily dodging the Air Slash before colliding with Altaria, knocking her into the air.

Calem grinned. "Now, Dragon Pulse!"

Altaria opened her beak, and unleashed a torrent of red, blue, and purple energy, all mixed together. The energy took the shape of a dragon and charged at Noivern, smashing into him and knocking him into the ground.

Ash gasped, but Noivern rose fromt he smoke and shook off the pain. The Pallet Trainer grinned. "Cuteness is one thing, but we're definitely tougher than that Altaria. Now, use Dragon Claw!"

Noivern nodded and shot through the air towards where Altaria was, his claws enveloped in sharp, green talons of energy. He roared and slashed his claws towards the opposing Dragon-Type.

"Dodge, Altaria!" Calem called. Altaria moved backwards in the air, putting distance between her and Noivern as the Sound Wave Pokémon swung his claws through the air fruitlessly. "Now, use Air Slash again!"

Altaria hummed as she once again flapped her wings together and shot another glowing blade of compressed air towards Noivern.

"Dodge it, Noivern!" Ash called. However, his voice failed to reach his Pokémon in time, and Noivern took the Air Slash head on, knocking him once again out of the air and onto the ground.

"Noivern!" Ash cried out. The Flying-and-Dragon-Type rose once more, slowler this time. The fatigue was showing.

Calem flipped the end of his hair. "Well, I think it's time we put this to bed," he taunted. "Altaria, use Sing!"

The Humming Pokémon opened her beak and began to sing out. "Al~ Ta ~Ri~ Ah~," she cooed soothingly, causing visible waves of sound to drift in Noivern's direction."

"Oh, no!" Bonnie gasped. "If Noivern falls asleep, it's over!"

Serena covered up her mouth. ' _Oh, Ash…!'_

"Use Boomburst!" Ash ordered, reaching his hand to Noivern.

From his glowing ears, Noivern shot terrible, explosive soundwaves out toward Altaria. The soundwaves ripped through the gentle aura of Altaria's Sing and explode against her body, knowing the Dragon-and-Flying-Type from the sky.

"Alright!" Serena cheered from the sidelines.

A sharp, smug grin grew across Ash's face. "Noivern, Acrobatics!" he called, raising a fist in the air.

Ash's Soundwave Pokémon quickly bolted into the air, leaving another glowing blue trail, nimbly striking at Altaria with a quick charge. Altaria was knocked to the ground, mere feet from where Calem was standing

Calem clenched his fists. "We're done playing around! Altaria, use Moonblast!"

Altaria rose to her feet and began to glow with mystical energy. The white aura whipped around her body before she focused it into a pink sphere and shot it towards Noivern.

"Moonblast?!" Ash asked, stepping back in surprise.

The sphere collided with Noivern, causing an explosion of pink energy and black dust midair. Noivern's form fell from the explosion and crashed onto the ground.

"No, Noivern!" Ash cried.

Clemont looked over and saw that Noivern's eyes were dazed, and that Ash's Pokémon wasn't getting up again anytime soon. "Noivern is unable to battle! The winner is Altaria!"

Ash raised up Noivern's Poké Ball and returned his fallen Pokémon to his resting place. "You did a great job, Noivern. Thanks so much."

"I guess cuteness does matter, doesn't it?" Calem said, smugly.

Ash looked from his Poké Ball and towards Calem, glaring angrily. He silently slipped Noivern's Poké Ball back into his pocket before turning to the Pokémon who stood by his side. "Pikachu, are you ready to get in there?"

Pikachu nodded, sparking his cheeks. "Pika! Pikachu!"

Ash pointed towards Altaria. "Pikachu, I choose you!"

Pikachu leapt from Ash's side and stood on all fours , raising his tail in the air as he glared down Altaria.

Calem shrugged. "Now I get to see what this Pikachu's all about, don't I?" Calem asked rhetorically. "Altaria, you ready for another go?"

Calem's Dragon-Type raised her wings into the air and cried out before flapping her wings and once again taking to the air.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leapt into the air, letting a blast of electricity energy fly from his small body towards Altaria. In response, Calem merely shrugged, and Altaria tilted to the side, dodging the attack.

As Ash gritted his teeth, Calem waved a hand in front of himself. "Use Air Slash!"

"Dodge it, Pikachu!" Ash cried.

Pikachu landed in the ground just as Altaria sent the blade of air towards him. He darted forward, slipping beneath the attack before charging towards Altaria.

"Use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu's body began to glow as he tapped into his pure speed, rushing forward before jumping into Altaria, flipping and kicking the Hummingbird Pokémon midair.

Calem's Dragon fell backwards, but regained her balance. "Before Pikachu lands, use Moonblast!"

As Altaria once again began whipping up that bright aura and shaping it into Moonblast, Ash clinched his fists. When Altaria finally fired the pink sphere at Pikachu, he raised his fist in the air. "Use Iron Tail and send it right back!"

Pikachu's tail began to glow brightly as the Moonblast drew nearer. Just before it could make contact, Pikachu twisted midair, slamming his tail into the attack, batting the sphere back at Altaria. The Humming Pokémon gasped in surprise, and wasn't able to dodge before the Fairy-Type move . The Moonblast exploded on Altaria, sending her careening toward the ground. Once the smoke cleared, it was clear from Altaria's dazed expression that it couldn't continue.

"Altaria is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!" Clemont cheered.

Calem recalled his Pokémon with a calm expression on his face. "Thank you, Altaria. You did great." Turning his attention to Ash, he glowered. "What kind of defensive play was that? You put your own Pokémon in danger just to score a cheap shot?"

Ash stretched his arms, Pikachu mirroring his stance. "The best defense is a good offense," he said, matter of factly. "Besides, Pikachu and I trust each other one-hundred precent!"

"Pikachu!" he chimed in, nodding.

"My Pokémon and I trust in each other, too!" Calem shot back. "And with my next one, I'll show you!" He pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it forward. "Vaporeon, let's fight!"

In a flash of light, the Bubble Jet Pokémon appeared. As if responding to Calem's anger, Vaporeon growled at Pikachu, raising his tail into the air. Pikachu took a similar stance, raising his own tail into the air, the tip of which was crackling with electricity.

Serena could only watch from the sidelines as the grudge match continued.

* * *

 **"Alright everyone! Let's go together! Towards our next adventure!"**

"This battle's far from over, Ash! I'm tired of Yvonne liking you more than me!"

"It's Serena's choice if she does this or not!"

"You couldn't ever understand how I feel... I've had to protect her before, and I'll protect her again!"

 **"Next time, Pokémon XY &Z: The ABC's of Love! A Knight's Shield! Ash VS Calem!"**

 **"Everyone, go catch'em all!"**


	7. A Knight's Shield!

**I am so, so sorry that this took a lot longer than I thought it would. This last month has been something of an emotional roller coaster for various personal reasons, and that made it hard to write. Add in the fact that I've had a trip out of town in the past week as well as waiting on my beta readers to get back to me... and there were delays. But I am ultra-thankful that I have people who will read and help me catch my errors!**

 **I also want to thank BellsproutSalad, pokemon fan 1991, FantasyLover88, NaLulover234, ultimateCCC, DrafteeDragon, caitlinelkinparsons, RixSkywalker1405, and EmzyWonder for reviewing as the chapters have continued! I hope this chapter meets your expectations. I like to think that a delayed chapter is eventually good, but a bad chapter is bad forever.**

 **Next week I should be on time! Thank you for your patience!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7 - "A Knight's Shield! Ash VS Calem!"**

Ash adjusted his hat. Pikachu stood ready to go, and the battle was already really intense. His opponent, Calem, was tougher than he thought a fashion designer ought to be, but those six badges he had weren't for show. With Vaporeon out, with a disadvantage to Pikachu, Ash was mentally psyching himself up for an unpredictable opponent.

But something seemed off. He couldn't quite put his finger on what, but he knew inside that he wasn't as fully focused on the battle like he normally was.

He glanced to the sidelines, and saw Serena frowning there, and it made him frown. Normally when he battled (and was doing well) she was all smiles and cheers. Other than a few comments between rounds, she had been oddly silent. And for some reason, this put Ash off his mood. For a reason he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"Are you ready to go?" Calem asked, still fuming.

Ash stepped forward and nodded. "You bet! Let's get this going, Pikachu!"

"Pika!"

' _We're ready for you this time,'_ Calem thought. ' _There's no way such an unrefined guy like you can match our classy battle style!'_

"Use Quick Attack!" Ash ordered. Pikachu once more leapt forth, glowing as he sped forward towards the Water-Type.

"Use Aqua Ring!" Calem commanded.

Pikachu leapt into Vaporeon, headbutting him backwards, causing him to skid across the dirt battlefield on his paws. As Vaporeon came to a stop, however, he circled himself with a small, glowing ring of water. As the water spun around him, Vaporeon flashed with a green, healing glow.

"Look! The Aqua Ring is healing Vaporeon!" Bonnie gawked, pointing her finger towards the scene playing before her.

Serena sat there, with a frown on her face. She didn't really want to continue watching this battle, but she felt like she had no choice. Both Ash and Calem were her friends, and she didn't want one to think she was abandoning them. She kept playing through the events of the morning in her head, when Calem accused her of having a crush on Ash. An accusation that was true, she granted, but her feelings for Ash didn't come into her decision to stay with her friends instead of traveling with Calem. And yet, she wondered why that was what Calem had latched onto when he became upset.

"Earth to Serena? Hello?" Bonnie waved her hands in front of the Performer's face.

"Uh! Y-Yeah! I'm watching!" Serena jumped, quickly lying.

Ash nodded at Vaporeon. "Well, Aqua Ring only heals slowly, so let's end this quickly! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leapt into the air, his cheeks crackling with electricity. With a loud shout, he sent the arc of electric energy crackling through the air towards Vaporeon.

"Use Dig!" Calem shouted.

Before Pikachu's attack could connect, Vaporeon jumped backwards and rapidly spun, quickly digging a hole and tunnelling underground.

Calem grinned. "Looks like your advantage doesn't mean much when we can strike from anywhere," he said, confident.

Ash bared his teeth like fangs, his own confidence overflowing. "You might think you have us where you want us, but really, you made yourself a target!"

"What?" Calem gasped.

"Iron Tail!"

The image played out before Serena like she had seen twice before. Pikachu leapt into the air, spinning as his tail began to glow. The Mouse Pokémon smashed his tail into the ground, breaking the very battlefield beneath him. The force of the strike, sent rocks and dirt flying all around, and among those rocks and dirt was Calem's Vaporeon, forcibly removed from his underground hiding place.

"Thunderbolt, now!"

Pikachu leapt through the dirt and stones, coming close to Vaporeon, who was still stunned from being knocked out of the ground. He discharged another bolt of lightning into the Water-Type, who screamed out in pain as he fell to the ground. A slight green glow from the Aqua Ring restored a little of Vaporeon's strength, helping the Pokémon to his feet.

Calem clenched his teeth. ' _This isn't going like I planned at all…!'_ he fumed. _'I just want to win! I have to beat him!'_ "Vaporeon! Can you keep going?" Vaporeon gave Calem a weary nod as he took his battle stance once again. "Use Ice Beam!"

Vaporeon opened his mouth and fired a beam of chilling energy towards Pikachu. Ash held his hand out towards Pikachu. "Use Electro Ball!" Pikachu jumped back, forming the sphere on his tail before tossing it with a flip, towards the Ice Beam. Both attacks collided in mid air, creating an explosion of ice and electricity in the middle of the air.

"Now, let's try Scald!" Calem ordered. Vaporeon glowed green a little from the Aqua Ring, and with a bit of renewed strength, fired a hot jet of water from his mouth.

"Pikachu, dodge it!" Ash called. Pikachu watched for the attack to draw near, but the cloud of ice and electricity hadn't dispersed enough yet, and the scalding water shot through it, hitting him and knocking him back.

Pikachu stood up from the hot water and shook himself dry, but there was a faint red glow around his body. Pikachu clenched his teeth and took a step forward.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu leapt forward and launched another arc of electricity at Vaporeon.

"Vaporeon, use Ice Beam!" Calem shouted.

Vaporeon opened his mouth and countered the Thunderbolt with his own move, the two beams struggling against each other.

"Give it everything you've got, Pikachu!" Ash shouted. "Full Power!"

Pikachu growled and poured more and more energy into the Thunderbolt, overpowering the Ice Beam and striking Vaporeon with the powerful move. The attack exploded into the Water-Type, covering Calem's side of the field in a cloud of smoke.

However, as Pikachu landed, he suddenly became enveloped in flames for a moment. Pikachu cried out in pain as the fire drained his energy.

"Wait," Serena said, looking up. "What happened to Pikachu?"

"You see, even though Scald is a Water-Type move," Clemont explained, "it can cause a burn like it's a Fire-Type Move."

"So Pikachu's burned?" Bonnie asked.

He nodded. "Not only will the burn drain Pikachu's energy over time, but also his offensive power is cut. This is not a good turn of events for Ash."

The smoke on Calem's side finally cleared, and Vaporeon was lying immobile on the ground, his eyes dazed over.

Clemont nodded. "Vaporeon is unable to battle! Pikachu wins!"

"Awesome job, Pikachu!" Ash called.

Pikachu raised a weary fist. "Pi… Pikachu!"

Calem recalled Vaporeon to his Poké Ball. "Thank you, Vaporeon." He looked up at Ash. "I don't get it."

Ash blinked. "What do you mean?"

"I just don't understand what she sees in you," he said. "You're nothing special. You're just another rough-housing trainer, more concerned with battles than bathing. You look like a mess, and you only knew each other for a single moment where I was growing up with her." He stepped forward, tears welling up in his eyes, his anger surging forth. "Why does Yvonne like you more than she likes me?!"

That outburst brought Serena out of her mind and she immediately turned and looked at Calem. "Wait… that means…"

Bonnie's jaw dropped. "This is WAY better than I thought it would be!"

Ash and Clemont, however, looked at Calem, totally clueless. "Is this about how she decided to travel with us still?" Ash asked.

"It's about _way_ more than that!" he said, tossing his next Poké Ball into the battle. "Chesnaught, let's fight!"

From the Poké Ball came the intimidating form of Calem's next Pokémon. He stood tall, much taller than Pikachu, and had a huge, cream-colored shell on his back, with huge spikes on it. "Chesnaught!" He roared across the field at Ash and Pikachu.

Serena pulled out her Pokédex and pointed it at Chesnaught. The device sprung to life and displayed Chesnaught's image on its screen. "Chesnaught, the Spiny Armor Pokémon and the final evolved form of Chespin. Its Tackle is forceful enough to flip a 50-ton tank. It shields its allies from danger with its own body."

Serena looked up at Chesnaught with her own eyes. "I guess this is the Pokémon Calem chose when he went to see Professor Sycamore…"

Ash sized up Chesnaught and nodded. "Pikachu, return." Pikachu's ears perked up and he turned to Ash before scampering off the field, still glowing from the burn. Ash kneeled down to his buddy and rubbed his head. "You did a great job, buddy. Rest for a bit before I send you back in."

"Pikachu," he nodded, smiling.

Ash took another Poké Ball out. "Hawlucha, I choose you!" he called, tossing the ball into the air.

The Poké Ball snapped open, and in a flash, Ash's red, white, and green Pokémon appeared, striking a pose. Hawlucha called out across the field, ready for a fight.

Calem furrowed his brow. "Really? _Another_ Flying-Type? Are you supposed to be some sort of Flying Specialist?"

Ash growled, stomping his foot. "It doesn't matter what type they are! My Pokémon are my partners!"

Calem shrugged. "At least it's a Fighting-Type battle. I can't wait to clean your clock." He stomped forward as well, gesturing forward with his hand. "Chesnaught! Rollout!"

The massive Chesnaught leapt into the air before taking a roll forward, glowing green as he spins across the ground toward Hawlucha.

"Hawlucha, dodge it!" Ash commanded. His Wrestling Pokémon leapt into the air, nearly getting struck by the Rollout, but clearing the attack. "Now, Flying Press!"

Hawlucha spun in the air and soared down towards Chesnaught, who was still using Rollout. The two attacks collided, knocking both Pokémon away from each other. Both Hawlucha and Chesnaught skid across the ground on their feet, though Chesnaught moved towards Ash, and Hawlucha towards Calem.

"Hawlucha, get in close and use Karate Chop!"

"Fight back with Hammer Arm, Chesnaught!"

Hawlucha raced towards Chesnaught, his arms glowing. Chesnaught stood still, his own arms glowing, awaiting Hawlucha's approach. Hawlucha struck out with one of his arms, chopping at Chenaught, who blocked with one of his. Chesnaught took a swing at Hawlucha, who slipped back, backflipping.

Ash grinned. "Now! High Jump Kick!"

Calem grinned himself. "Chesnaught, get ready!"

Hawlucha leapt towards Chesnaught, his knee glowing, ready to smash into the Grass-Type.

"Use Spiky Shield!"

Chesnaught's arms grew together, and formed a green shield, covered in raised spines. Hawlucha gasped in shock as his knee smashed into the shield before falling backwards, yelping in pain as he held his knee.

"Hawlucha! Are you okay?"

Serena gasped. "What just happened?"

Clemont adjusted his glasses. "Well, as you know, High Jump Kick is a very risky move, since if it doesn't make contact, the user takes massive damage. In addition to that, Spiky Shield is a move that protects the user from getting hurt, as well as inflicting damage if the opponent makes contact with the shield. That combination means Hawlucha took seriously massive damage." As he explained, the two trainers and Bonnie turned their eyes towards Hawlucha, who was struggling to stand up.

Calem grinned. "I'm really putting this away this time. Use Wood Hammer!"

Chesnaught's arms began to glow with a green aura, forming stumpy hammers at the ends of his arms.

"Hawlucha" Ash pleaded, "get out of there and use Flying Press!"

Hawlucha leapt onto Chesnaught's shoulder, dodging the Grass-Type move as Chesnaught swung through the air. He backflipped off Chesnaught and then spun in the air, making contact once again with Chesnaught's back, knocking the Spiny Armor Pokémon to the ground. The wrestling Pokémon jumped backwards, landing in front of Ash. "Cha! Lucha!" he called, raising his arms into the air.

Chesnaught punched the ground and rose to his feet, turning around towards Hawlucha, an angry glint in his eye. Calem's teeth were bared, and the anger on his face was just as evident as the anger on his Pokémon's. "Wood Hammer!"

Before the Wrestling Pokémon could turn around, Chesnaught brought his huge arms, coated in the green, hammer shaped auras, down on the Luchador, causing an explosion at his feet.

When the smoke cleared, Hawlucha laid on the ground, eyes dazed over, crumpled in a heap at Chesnaught's feet. Green sparks seemed to jump along Chesnaught's body as he towered over the fallen Fighting-and-Flying-Type.

"Hawlucha is unable to battle! Chesnaught wins!"

Ash held up his Poké Ball and pulled Hawlucha back inside. "Great work, Hawlucha. You did an awesome job."

Across the field, Calem clenched his teeth and growled. "We're tied again. I thought you were some sorta hot-shot trainer!"

Ash pumped his fist. "We're in it to win it, Calem!" he boasted. "We don't give up-"

"Don't even say that phrase!" Calem snapped at him. "I hate that phrase more than anything! It just reminds me of my failure!"

* * *

 _Calem Skye sat in his room, alone, packing._

 _A few days ago, his mother had grounded him for once again taking Yvonne out of Vaniville Town, though it was really her idea. He had just taken the fall for it because Yvonne was his friend. And because Ms. Skye had a better idea of grounding than most parents, she correctly guessed that taking away Calem's computer and video game console would be punishment, rather than just confining him to his room._

 _With little else to distract him, he had opened his school books and sat down at his desk to write. It was a writing class, and the assignment he (and by extension, his classmate and neighbor, Serena) had been given was to write a short story about you and your best friend._

 _Calem had an amazing idea. He would be a brave knight, and Yvonne would be a princess in need of saving. He would face down a fearsome Hydreigon and save the day, and her life. She would look at him and smile and thank him, and finally see him as the hero to her he always was. He wasn't sure what Yvonne would write, since he couldn't contact her, but he held hope in his heart that she would write about him, too. That his feelings would be returned, finally._

 _He didn't realize it as a young child, but as both he and Serena matured, he began to see her in a different way. Instead of just fun, she was beautiful. He couldn't sit still beside her. He wanted to tell her exactly what was going on in his mind, how he ached for her._

 _But every time he got close to talking to the subject of his tender emotions about the fact that she kept him awake at night, she would always bring up the same person._

 _Ash from Summer Camp._

 _It happened that day, too. When they were to share their stories in front of the class, Serena eagerly went first. And she told a story about how she and this Ash lived on a farm, taking care of Pokémon together._

 _Calem didn't even bother to share his after that._

 _He hoisted his backpack onto his shoulders. He would make one more attempt, take one more chance on the girl who was training to be a Rhyhorn Racer._

 _He said one last goodbye to his mother and father, both of them proud that he was finally taking on the path of the Pokémon Trainer like they did in their youth. He stopped by a wooden fence and watched the girl who had unknowingly crept into his heart get bucked around by the Rhyhorn she was attempting to ride. Eventually, Rhyhorn settled down and stared at him, causing the girl with the long, honey-blonde hair to look at him, too._

 _"Hey, Xavier!" Yvonne said, waving to him. Her face was patched with dirt, and there was a scratch across her forehead. She paused and looked him up and down. "Wait… why are you dressed like that…?"_

 _Calem put on a brave face. "I've decided that it's time for me to go on a journey," he said, hefting his bag as he looked at her._

 _"You're leaving?" she asked. She tilted her head to the side, as if she wasn't sure what she was looking at._

 _"Yeah," he responded, pulling on his hat a little bit. "I know I'm not going to become a fashion designer if I stay here in Vaniville Town," he said. "I'm heading to Professor Sycamore's lab to choose a Pokémon tomorrow."_

 _"That sounds like fun," Yvonne said, sighing. "Much better than another day of Rhyhorn Racing…"_

 _"You could come with me," he said, offering her a hand while she sat, staring skyward._

 _Yvonne looked down at him. "Travel? With you?" she asked._

 _Calem slipped a hand into his jacket pocket, feeling for a ring. "Yeah! It'll just be me and you on the road together. No parents, no responsibility, nothing but travelling!" His fingers found the ring quickly, and he clutched it. He looked nervously at Yvonne, hoping that she would accept it._

 _Yvonne, however, was more concerned with other matters. "That almost sounds too good to be true…" she said with a sigh._

 _Calem smiled at her, anticipation growing. "Well, what do you say?" he asked as he fidgeted with the ring._

 _"I mean, it's a nice offer, but what would I do out there?" Yvonne asked with a careless shrug. "I seriously doubt that my Mom would just let me go on a journey to slack off. She expects me to be a Rhyhorn Racer."_

 _"Is that what you wanna do for the rest of your life, Serena? Be a Rhyhorn Racer?" Calem's tone was desperate. So much so that he had forgotten to call her by her nickname. He clenched the ring in his fist._

 _Yvonne shrugged, completely noncommittal. "Well… I don't know what I'm gonna do. It's not like I hate Rhyhorn Racing… Maybe doing it won't be so bad…"_

 _"Yvonne, are you sure?" he asked, unable to mask the desperation in his voice._

 _Serena shook her head. "I'm sorry, Xavier… I just don't think the travelling is right for me right now."_

 _Baring his teeth, Calem jammed his other hand into his other jacket pocket, while his first hand clenched the ring tightly. "Oh. Well, okay. That's cool," he said, irritation in his voice. "Well… let's keep in touch, okay? If you change your mind, we can still travel together."_

 _Serena smiled. "Okay. If I change my mind, I'll let you know."_

 _Calem, however, had barely heard her when he turned around and began walking away. He took the ring out of his pocket and looked at it. "We could have… I should have…" He stomped his feet once more before walking off._

* * *

Bonnie almost shone with glee. "You were going to give her a ring?!"

Serena's entire face was red from embarrassment. "B-Bonnie! That's not-"

"-It's not important!" Ash roared, his fiery gaze locked on Calem. "Serena made her choice and you're just angry about it!"

"I'm not angry at _her_!" he countered. "I'm angry at _you_!"

"Me?"

Calem nodded. "I _love_ Yvonne, but no matter how much love I offered her, I could never displace _you_ from her heart! You met her once! I grew up alongside her! Why does she choose you?!"

Clemont put a hand on his chin. "W-Well… there is a theory called the Westermarck Effect…"

Bonnie hopped up. "This _really_ isn't the time for science, Clemont!"

Serena pulled her red fedora over her face. ' _I didn't even know Calem felt like that… and now Ash is caught up in this weird love triangle and it's all my fault…_ '

"She chose me because we're friends!"

Serena looked up, and saw Ash standing there, defiant and angry at Calem.

"Look, I don't really get why you wanted to give your best friend a ring," Ash continued, "but if she didn't want it, you can't make her take it!"

Calem's gaze narrowed. "You _naive fool_ ," he shouted. "You really don't understand what's going on here, do you?"

"It doesn't matter!" Ash shot back.

"Oh, it _entirely_ matters, Ash," he said. "You don't really understand Yvonne. If you did.. You wouldn't be talking the way you do. Don't you see that you're hurting her like this?"

Ash paused and looked over at Serena. She was holding her hat in both hands and looking at him with a scared, red-faced expression. "I'm… hurting her?"

"Let's finish this battle!" Calem said. "I will protect her from you! I will be her shield! Face me, Ash!"

Ash's mind was brought back to the battle at hand. "R-Right…" _'Am I really hurting Serena…?'_ "Pikachu, I choose you!"

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded and hopped out onto the field, still glowing red from the effects of the burn.

"Chesnaught, use Rollout!"

Calem's Chesnaught leapt into the air and began rolling forward towards Ash and Pikachu.

Ash clenched his teeth. "Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leapt into the air and fired off a bolt of electricity towards the Spiny Armor Pokémon.

"Spiky Shield, quick!" Calem ordered. Chesnaught stopped in his tracks and held up his arms, which quickly grew together and formed the shield with raised spines, blocking Pikachu's Thunderbolt before it made contact. With the attack dissipated, Calem gestured forth. "Use Hammer Arm!"

When Pikachu landed, the flames shot up again, once again draining his strength from the burn, filling Ash's side of the field with his cries. Chesnaught charged forward, raising his arms above the Mouse Pokémon.

"Dodge it!" Ash cried out.

"Pi!" Pikachu rolled backwards as Chesnaught's arms came down, only narrowly avoiding the attack. The Grass-and-Fighting-Type's arms smashed into the ground, giving Pikachu a brief opening.

"Use Iron Tail!"

"Chuu-Pika!" Pikachu leapt up above Chesnaught, his tail glowing with power before he smashed it into Chesnaught's chin, launching him into the air and away from Pikachu. The heavy Pokémon landed with a crash.

As Chesnaught rose from the dust, however, Pikachu was once more engulfed by flames, screaming out again.

"The burn…" Ash said, gritting his teeth.

"You can't stop us, Ash," Calem boasted. "Your Pikachu's at the end of his tiny rope."

"If there's one thing about Pikachu and me, it's that we never give up!" Ash shouted back. "Pikachu, use Electro Ball!

"Hmph. Spiky Shield!"

"Pikapikapikapikapika-" Pikachu chanted, forming the sphere of electric energy on his tail. Chesnaught stood still and used his arms once more to create the Spiky Shield. "-Chupi!" With a flip, Pikachu fired the ball directly into the Spiky Shield. The attack exploded, but Chesnaught was unharmed, sharing the same grin on his face that his trainer did.

"Did you really think that would work?" Calem asked. "You can't break our Spiky Shield with that."

"If one Electro Ball won't work," Ash said, "then we'll just have to try a ton of them! Keep firing, Pikachu! He can't hide behind his shield forever!"

Pikachu began rapidly forming and firing Electro Balls from his tail, smashing into an increasingly surprised Chesnaught's shield. The attacks shook the Spiny Armor Pokémon's body with each strike until Chesnaught couldn't keep the shield raised any longer. His arms fell, and the next Electro Ball smashed into his chest, knocking him backwards.

"They broke through?!" Calem gasped.

"That's how Ash battles!" Bonnie cheered. "You never know what you're gonna get!"

Serena clasped her hands, a smile on her face. ' _Oh, Ash…_ '

"Let's wrap this up, Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu once more took damage from the burn, but he leapt into the air all the same and discharged a bolt of electricity towards Chesnaught.

"No! We can't lose! Chesnaught, charge through and use Wood Hammer!"

Chesnaught raised his arms up, forming the green, hammer-like auras around them just as Pikachu's Thunderbolt struck. The electricity coursing through his body, he charged through the attack, roaring with pain and anger as he charged Pikachu. With a mighty swing of his arm, he smacked Pikachu away, towards Ash. Ash's first Pokémon cried out as he hit the ground, slumping over into the dirt.

"Pikachu!"

Ash called out towards his partner before rushing out of the trainer's box towards where he fell. Pikachu's expression was dazed over, unable to continue the battle.

"Pikachu is unable to battle! Chesnaught-" Clemont began to say until Chesnaught's body was overcome with green sparks. The Grass-Type fell to his knees, and then collapsed on the ground.

"Chesnaught?!" Calem shouted, rushing over to his partner.

Clemont raised both of his arms. "Pikachu and Chesnaught are both unable to battle!"

Serena covered her mouth with her hands. "Wait, what happened? Why did Chesnaught collapse?"

Clemont turned his head back towards her. "Wood Hammer is a very powerful Grass-Type move, but it also hurts the user. Chesnaught had an intense battle with both Pikachu and Hawlucha, and I guess that it was at the very limit of its endurance when it used Wood Hammer."

Ash scooped Pikachu up into his arms as Calem recalled Chesnaught into his Poké Ball. "You did great work Pikachu."

"Thanks for working so hard, Chesnaught."

Both trainers looked at each other.

"Just one Pokémon left, Ash. Are you ready to finish this?"

Ash looked back in his arms at Pikachu, who was just beginning to come around. He looked up at Clemont, who stood ready to continue refereeing the match. He looked at Bonnie, who seemed excited to see it continue.

He looked at Serena, whose face was drawn back with worry.

"I… I'm ready to go. Can you get out the Battle Pulse Measuring Instrument?"

* * *

 **"Alright everyone! Let's go together! Towards our next adventure!"**

"My battle with Calem enters the final round... there's no way I can lose with everyone watching!"

"Ash, I'll prove I'm better than you are! Absol and I can Mega Evolve together!"

"Well, if you think that's impressive, wait until you see what we can do! Let's go, Greninja! ...wait? What's going on?"

 **"Next time, Pokémon XY &Z: The ABC's of Love! Conclusion! Greninja VS Mega Absol!"**

 **"Everyone, go catch'em all!"**


	8. Conclusion! Greninja VS Mega Absol!

**Hello there! It's time for another update! I'd like to thank FantasyLover88, ultimateCCC, ProDeniz, Pokemonmeat, Epicocity, DrafteeDragon, Lolly1o1, and RixSkywalker1405 for reviewing since last time! I'm keeping pace and things should be ready to go for next week as well! I really enjoy visualizing the battles in my head, so I hope you all enjoy the climactic finish to this encounter!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8 - "Conclusion! Greninja VS Mega Absol!"**

"Battle Pulse Measuring Instrument?"

Calem raised an eyebrow at Ash's strange words. "What are you even talking about?"

Somehow, though, Clemont understood. "Right, of course." Looking at Calem, he nods. "Forgive the short break, I just need to get a few things out."

Rummaging through his backpack, Clemont handed Ash two wristbands, one of which Ash put on himself. Clemont returned to his backpack and removed from it a small, humanoid robot that resembled the Gym Leader Calem won his Voltage Badge from.

"...just who are these people…?" he muttered to himself.

Clemont turned on the robot, whose eyes projected a hologram with a waveform on it, as well as Ash's face.

Ash looked at Calem. "Well, it's time for the final round, right?" He reached to his belt and pulled a Poké Ball off, holding it forward towards the Vaniville Trainer. "Greninja, I choose you!" With that, he tossed the ball upwards, and in a bright flash, a Pokémon Calem recognized as the final evolved form of Froakie stood, arms crossed, next to Ash. Greninja held out an arm towards Ash, and Ash put the other wristband, the 'Battle Pulse Measuring Instrument', Calem assumed, onto Greninja's wrist.

The hologram lit up with another pulse, and Greninja's face.

"What's that all about?" Calem asked.

"It's gonna be a huge surprise!" Bonnie said from the sidelines. "You've never seen anything like this before!"

Calem looked back at Ash, who seemed to be staring at Greninja, lost in his thoughts. "Well, I never thought you'd be one to accessorize, and I guess they look _okay_ ," he said, shrugging as he returned to his trainer's box on the other side of the field. "But my last Pokémon and I accessorize, too." He also took a Poké Ball from his belt and held it out. "Absol, let's show our stuff!"

He threw the Poké Ball into the air, and in a flash of light, a Pokémon Serena recognized as the pet of the Skye family appeared before Calem. Except there was one thing different.

Around Absol's neck, there was a black, spiked collar. And at the middle of that collar was a black and white stone.

Ash gasped. "It's a Mega Stone…?"

"Calem can use Mega Evolution?" Serena asked out loud. "Calem, I had no idea you even _had_ Absol with you, not to mention you being able to Mega Evolve it!"

"Absol and I have been together since I was a baby, and when I left on my journey," Calem explained, "Absol came with me. We found the Absolite on our own, but as for the Key Stone…"

Calem stuck his hand into his pocket. When he pulled it out, he was wearing a ring with a bright, shiny, rainbow-colored stone on it.

"...well, I guess something good _did_ come out of Yvonne not travelling with me."

"You were going to give Serena a Key Stone?!" Ash gasped.

"It was a gift to me from my parents," Calem explained. "They passed it down to me, so I could use it on my journey. And now, I'll use it to defeat you!"

Greninja took a step forward, shifting his eyes from relaxed white to the pink pupils he had during battle. He paused, looking back at Ash.

Serena looked at the projection made by the Mini-Clembot. Greninja's pulse was Regular, but Ash's pulse seemed slower than normal, a longer waveform. She frowned, wondering what could be wrong.

Ash adjusted his hat. "Sorry, Greninja. I'm ready."

Greninja nodded and focused his thoughts and gaze forward, on the battle with Absol. Absol growled back at the Ninja Pokémon, baring his fangs.

Calem adjusted his hat. "Let's do this, Ash!"

Ash looked at Calem. "...why?"

Calem almost balked. "What do you mean why?"

Ash's travelling companions all looked at him as well. "That's not a very Ash question to ask…" Bonnie noted.

"I mean… you're mad that Serena likes me more than she likes you, but why does that mean we've gotta battle?" Ash asked. "If this battle is hurting Serena, then I don't wanna continue it."

Calem raised an eyebrow. "This battle?"

"You said I was hurting Serena earlier!" Ash shot back. "You meant this battle, right?"

Calem rolled his eyes. "You really are clueless, aren't you?"

Ash's aggression faded as quickly as it came. "But if it's not this battle, then how am I… hurting Serena?"

"Enough of this!" Calem shouted. "Absol, use Night Slash!"

Absol's horn began glowing purple and he leapt towards Greninja, who was standing at the ready.

"Greninja, block it with Cut!" Ash ordered. Greninja pulled a white glowing blade from the air and swung it towards the approaching Disaster Pokémon. The blades clanged together, pushing both Greninja and Absol backwards.

"Use Double Team!" Ash ordered. Greninja began to shimmer, and dozens of Greninja clones appeared around the original's position before spreading out around Absol.

"Absol, use Dark Pulse and mow them down!"

Absol formed a wicked, snapping aura in his mouth before launching it out towards the clones, sweeping through them. Each clone quickly vanished in a puff of smoke as the attack connected, but once Absol had gone through all of them, Greninja was gone.

"Aerial Ace!"

Absol looked up and saw Greninja appear in the air above him. The Water-and-Dark-Type came down on Absol with a glowing foot before spinning around and kicking Absol away. Absol skid across the ground on his claws, standing strong against the attack.

"Ash and Greninja are really looking good out there!" Bonnie cheered. "You guys can do it!"

Serena's gaze, however, was focused on the projection. Greninja's pulse was increasing slowly as the battle ramped up, but Ash's pulse was still slow. _'He's battling alongside Greninja, but they're not in sync at all…_ '

"Absol, Megahorn!"

The horn on Absol's head began to glow and grew slightly as he Dark-Type once again charged Greninja.

Ash swallowed, watching it charge. "W-Water Shuriken!"

Greninja reached to his sides and pulled the Water Shurikens out of the spots on his legs before tossing them towards Absol, knocking him back towards Calem once again.

Calem glared at Ash. "Why are you so distracted? I can tell you're not in this battle anymore!"

Ash clenched his teeth. "I am in this battle! Greninja and I are just getting started!" In the back of his mind, though, Ash felt stuck in his thoughts. _'I'm hurting Serena? How is that even possible?! She's my friend! I'd never do anything to hurt her!'_

"If you're in this battle, then come at me with everything you've got, because I'm through holding back!" Calem shouted.

"Why does beating me matter so much to you?" Ash asked. "Is it because I'm hurting Serena?"

"The reason I want to defeat you is simple, Ash!" Calem shouted. "Through my whole life, when it comes to Yvonne, I've been second banana to a fraud of a boy who's never even been in her life! You met her once! So what? I've spent countless summers with her, celebrated her birthday almost a dozen times with her, spent so much time with her! I'm going to prove to her that I'm better than you. I'm smarter, stronger, and my bond with my Pokémon lets them Mega Evolve!"

Absol stood up straighter at those words, his face emanating pride.

"Absol, let's show them our true power!" he called out, touching his hand to the Key Stone on his ring. "Mega Evolve!"

The Key Stone began to shine, and a bright light began reaching out towards Absol. At the same time, Absol's Mega Stone was also glowing, and reached backwards towards Calem. The two strands of light connected, and Absol began to glow purple and change. Tufts of fur grew out from his legs, his horn grew in size, and the fur on his back opened up, looking like white wings. The glowing ceased, and the glowing emblem of Mega Evolution floated in the air before Mega Absol for a moment.

Greninja took a defensive stance as Ash clenched his fists. "Mega Evolution…"

"Ninja…"

 _'The reason he wants to defeat me is to prove himself to Serena…? But how am I hurting her?'_

"Absol, use Dark Pulse!"

Absol once again began forming a wicked, whipping aura in his mouth before launching it at Greninja. The Ninja Pokémon tried his best to block with his arms, but the force of the attack knocked him backwards, tumbling across the ground before he returned to his feet.

"Greninja, are you okay?"

Greninja looked at Ash with eyes that seemed to be asking the same thing.

"I-I'm fine!" Looking past Greninja at Absol, Ash motioned outwards. "Use Water Shuriken!"

Greninja grabbed the shuriken from his sides and tossed them at Absol.

"Use Megahorn!"

Absol's newly Mega Evolved horn grew even larger as he charged at Greninja. Absol plowed through the Water Shuriken without even flinching, the Megahorn attack crashing into Greninja's chest. The frog Pokémon was sent flying backwards, sprawled out on the ground before Ash.

"Greninja!"

Greninja punched the ground and pushed himself to his feet, his eyes focused forward on Mega Absol.

"Stay strong, Greninja! We're going to get even stronger and stronger!"

As Ash said this, he and Greninja began moving in a synchronized fashion, both pumping their fists and shouting into the air.

Ash gasped, and then looked at Greninja.

Nothing had changed.

"W...what?"

"Gre… ninja?"

Serena's heart dropped, and she looked once again at the projection. Greninja's pulse had moved closer to Ash's but Ash's pulse was still slower, and worse, it hadn't moved anywhere closer to Greninja's. It was like something was weighing him down.

"Look, I have absolutely no idea as to what's going on," Calem said. "But if you're going to waste time, then we'll just get ready to end this. Absol, use Swords Dance!"

Absol shouted, and energy, shaped like swords, appeared before him. The swords swung around before being absorbed into Absol, causing a red glow to shine forth for a moment.

"Absol's really powered up!" Bonnie shouted. "Greninja's in trouble if they can't sync up!"

' _What's… what's happening?_ ' Ash looked at Greninja. ' _This is how we've always done it, right? Am I… is there something wrong?'_

It popped into his mind instantly. _'Serena. I can't focus on this battle if I'm just hurting Serena.'_ He looked at her, confusion and loss in his eyes. ' _But how can I stop hurting her if I don't know what I'm doing to hurt her in the first place?!'_

Serena caught his gaze in her own. _'He's worried about hurting me. I can sense it.'_ Serena stood up from the bench and rushed to the side of the battlefield. "Ash!"

He stared at her, still stuck. "Serena?"

"Ash, you're not hurting me!" she shouted. "I'm fine! I understand you're worried about me, but I'm perfectly okay! Just focus on the battle like you always do! Be one with your Pokémon and don't give up until it's over!"

Ash heard her call out and nodded. "Right! That's right!" He turned to the battle. "We're going to win this, Greninja! We're going to become even stronger and we're never going to give up!"

Greninja nodded and shouted, becoming enveloped in a towering torrent of water. Greninja began to glow as the water surrounded him, with his head quickly changing shape.

Serena looked back at the projection and saw that Ash and Greninja's pulses were finally synchronized. She turned back towards the battle and smiled.

The torrent of water flowed around Greninja like an aura as it stood, staring straight at Absol. Calam felt his mouth fall open. "What in the world is going on? Who _are_ these people?!"

"Aerial Ace!"

Greninja charged forward, his arms and legs glowing before punching Absol upwards into the air slightly and kicking it backwards across the ground.

Absol tumbled across the ground before standing back up, shaking his head in confusion. "Wait, their speed increased _that_ much?"

"Absol…"

"Use Night Slash! We're not going to lose! Not when we're so close!"

Absol's horn started glowing once more, and it jutted outwards even more than before, crackling with negative energy.

Across the field, Ash saw Absol approaching. "Greninja, use Cut!" Greninja formed two blades and charged at Absol. Greninja held the blades at his sides before slashing them at Absol, who caught the attack in his horn before whipping around and smashing Greninja in the side.

Ash cluched his side, the same one Greninja was hit on. ' _They're really strong, huh? And faster than we thought.'_

 _'Ninja.'_

 _'We're even faster, though!'_

' _Greninja!'_

"Water Shuriken!" Ash shouted. He reached towards his pockets and mimed taking the Shuriken out, and Greninja did the same.

"Use Dark Pulse and block them!" Calem shouted. Absol formed the aura once again and fired it off at Greninja.

Ash saw the attack approaching through Greninja's eyes. _"Now! Block it with the first one!"_ Ash motioned throwing the first Shuriken forward, and Greninja did the same, quickly tossing the first Water Shuriken at the Dark Pulse, causing an explosion in the middle of the field.

When the smoke cleared, Greninja was no longer standing on the ground. Everyone looked up, and saw Greninja, wrapped in the flowing water aura, above Absol.

 _'And the second will stop it!'_ "Water Shuriken!"

Greninja threw the other shuriken straight down onto Absol's back, knocking the Mega Evolved Disaster Pokémon off his feet.

"Use Double Team!" Ash shouted. A cloud of Greninja, all with their own water-auras, appeared in the air. They formed a circle and then landed around Absol. "Now, Cut!"

"U-Use Dark Pulse! There's only one real one!" Calem shouted.

Absol used Dark Pulse and began trying to drag the aura through the Double Team, but the first Greninja he launched it at brought one of his two blades down on the Dark Pulse and crushed the attack into the dirt. Meanwhile, the rest of the Greninja began charging Absol, each with their own blades drawn.

The first to reach Absol brought his blade into the Dark-Type's side, knocking him into the air.

Then the second leapt up, using his blade to knock Absol even higher.

Then the third. And the fourth. The Greninja kept coming, each knocking Absol higher and higher until the last one leapt high enough to be over Abosl, and brought his blade down on him. The attack knocked Absol straight down, shaking the entire battlefield with the impact, sending dust flying in all directions.

The dust eventually settles, and Absol is lying still at the bottom of the crater made the impact. If that wasn't enough confirmation that the battle was over, Absol shone for a moment and reverted back to his ordinary form, the power of Mega Evolution fading from his body.

Clemont stood there stunned for a moment at the display before he could react. "A-Absol is unable to battle! Greninja wins! This battle goes to Ash!"

At those words, both Ash and Greninja fell backwards into a sitting position where they were standing, the watery aura fading from Greninja, revealing that he, too, was back to normal.

"We did it…!" Ash cheered, the energy he once had being drained from syncing with Greninja. "We won…"

"Gre… ninja…"

Calem ran over to where Absol lay, looking at him closely. "What-" he said, looking at Ash "-even happened?"

He recalled Absol back into his Poké Ball and stood. He turned away and began walking back inside the Pokémon Center. Everyone watched him silently, except for Serena who reached towards him. "Xavier…"

"Yvvone… I'm sorry I made a fool of myself like that." He kept his hat covering his eyes, his gaze down. "I'm leaving. Enjoy your journey with Ash."

He stepped inside the automatic doors, saying not one more word as they closed behind him.

A cold wind blew over the battlefield, chilling Serena. She looked at Ash, who sat, looking dazed, but standing with support from Greninja and Pikachu. He was smiling, happy at the win, but part of the performer didn't think things were finished, even if the battle was.

* * *

Calem took his Poké Balls back from Nurse Joy and gave her a silent nod as her turned to leave the Pokémon Center. In the end, after his defeat by Ash, he had proven nothing to Yvonne except how he revealed his feelings for her in the worst way he could come up with. He pulled out his phone and tapped the map application, bringing up a map of the nearby area as he stepped out into the cold. He just wanted to be as far away from here as possible right now.

"For my seventh badge, where should I head…?" He scrolled around the map. The two closest gyms were Santalune and Snowbelle, and he had earned the Bug Badge before any of his others.

"Well, I guess Snowbelle it is, then. It can't be as bad as that battle with Ash was…" he said, sighing. "...I can't believe all that happened... this is just the worst."

Suddenly, the display on his phone began to flicker. Calem raised an eyebrow and gasped, looking at it. Just as suddenly as it began, however, the flickering stopped.

Then, his phone began to ring. The caller ID had no number or any other information.

"This is getting weirder and weirder…" Calem said. He waited for another ring before he tapped the button and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Hello," the voice on the other line responded. It was a distorted voice, and Calem was unsure if he was talking to a man, a woman, or just a machine on the other side. "We saw your battle. It's a shame you lost."

Calem stepped away from the doorway and cupped his hand around the bottom of his phone as he whispered into it. "You saw that?"

"We did," the voice responded. "And we heard you pour your heart out to that girl, too. Such a pity."

Calem only grunted. He hadn't seen anyone nearby but Ash and his group.

"What if we said there was still a chance for you to win her over?"

Calem furrowed his brow. "You're kidding," he deadpanned. "There's no way you're real. I don't think there's any way to undermine her faith in him… I've been trying for years…" He paused. "Why am I even talking to you about this? Who are you?"

"All the answers will come as we feel the need," the voice told him. "Just listen up and we'll tell you what to do."

* * *

 **"Alright, everyone! Let's go together! Towards our next adventure!"**

"Ash, there's something... I want to confess..."

"Huh? What's up, Serena...?"

"Ash, I... I really... I really..."

 **"Next time, Pokémon XY &Z: The ABC's of Love! We're a Family!"**

 **"Everyone, go catch'em-"**

"Hey, I wasn't finished!"


	9. We're a Family!

**Once again, I'd love to thank the reviewers I've had! Pokemonmeat, Super elite, FantasyLover88, Epicocity, ultimateCCC, caitlinelkinparsons, RixSkywalker1405, and That'sMe33! thank you all so so much! The story starts to turn in this chapter, with twists that are hard to predict! I hope you enjoy what I have in store!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9 - "We're a Family!"**

"Man, I'm starving…"

Those were the first words out of Ash Ketchum's mouth when he awoke. After his battle with Calem ended, he was feeling exhausted (a symptom, Clemont had said, of his synchronization with Greninja) so he said he'd go take a quick nap, no longer than an hour to recharge while his Pokémon were looked after by Nurse Joy.

He slept for a solid four hours and completely missed lunch.

He looked at the clock next to his bed and sat up, gasping. "Ah, man! I overslept!" A quick glance around the room showed that he was alone. He picked his hat up off the bed and rushed out the door of the room he shared with the others.

Lying on a bench, idly kicking her legs in the air while she poked Squishy in the belly, was Bonnie. Dedenne sat on her head and noticed Ash first while Bonnie continued to poke her little green friend.

"Hey, Bonnie!" Ash said, approaching slowly. "Where's everyone else?"

Bonnie shrugged. "Clemont said he was going look over the data he got from the battle with Calem, and I think Serena's at the battlefield trying to practice. She's got your Pokémon with her, too."

Ash nodded. "I should go pick Pikachu and the others up from her. Thanks, Bonnie!"

As he started to walk away, Bonnie spoke up. "You sure are clueless, Ash." Dedenne and Squishy chirped in agreement.

Ash stopped and turned around, frowning. "Hey, what gives? Why'd you say that?"

"I bet you still haven't figured out why Serena was upset earlier," she said, barely paying Ash any attention.

" _You don't really understand Yvonne. If you did... You wouldn't be talking the way you do. Don't you see that you're hurting her like this?"_ Calem's words came flowing back like a bad dream.

"So she really was upset…?" Ash asked. "Why'd she lie and tell me she was alright, then?"

Bonnie shrugged. " _Maybe_ you should go ask her instead of me."

"Oh," Ash said, as though the answer was obvious now that Bonnie had said it. "I guess I should… uh…"

"Go to the battlefield, Ash." Bonnie ordered him.

"Right! Thanks, Bonnie! I'll catch up with you later!" Ash told her as he turned and began racing down the hallway.

The blonde girl sighed. "I wonder if he's ever going to figure it out."

"Dedenne…"

"Wolololo…"

Ash raced through the Pokémon Center, heading out onto the battlefield. He stood in the doorway and surveyed the scene before him.

On one end of the battlefield, there were Ash's Pokémon. All of them were looking great, and they seemed to be relaxing after such a hard battle earlier. Hawlucha was leaning back, sitting between Noivern and Talonflame, with Pikachu and Greninja sitting next to each other in front of them. All five of Ash's partners had their eyes glued on the other side of the field.

And on that part of the field, there was a ring of fire completely obscuring the figures standing inside it.

"Stone Edge!"

With that shout, a large pillar of stone shot up from the middle of the ring of fire, with Serena and Braixen standing on it as it rose beneath their feet. The two were dancing, both holding Braixen's stick as the spun around each other. The light of the flames perfectly complimented the evening sun, casting a warm glow over Serena's pale skin.

Ash watched the performance for a moment, and felt his pulse race. It was a familiar feeling to him. Seeing Serena perform happily with her Pokémon always filled him with such energy and excitement. Such _strength_. It made him want to go out and battle as many people as he could, run up as many mountains as he could, to leap high enough into the air to jump over Team Rocket's Balloon. It made him happy and excited to see her doing what she loved to do. It was an excitement that he didn't quite have a word for.

While Ash watched, Pikachu's ears twitched, noticing his trainer standing in the doorway. He stood with a "Pikapi!" and raced over to his best friend.

Ash welcomed Pikachu to his shoulder. "Hey, buddy! I'm glad to see you're doing better."

"Ash?" Serena's voice came from up on the pillar. Her voice rang out and distracted Pancham. The Fighting-Type, who was at the time focusing on keeping the pillar steady and solid, faltered as Serena's surprise set in, and the pillar began to crack and crumble beneath her. The performer began to fall towards the ground, the Stone Edge disintegrating beneath her feet. "Sylveon, Fairy Wind!" she screamed out.

As the Intertwining Pokémon's ribbons began to flutter and blow out the sparkly wind to catch Serena before she hit the ground, Ash's feet had already began to run forward on their own.

The Fairy Wind blew and slowed Serena's descent to a safe speed where she would land safely, but Ash leapt into it anyway, floating on the wind as well. He caught the performer in his arms and fell slowly through the vortex, landing on the other side.

"Serena, are you alright?" Ash asked, Pikachu peering over his shoulder at the girl his trainer held.

Serena looked up at him, feeling his arms behind her back and under her legs. Ash felt so strong and powerful in that moment that she couldn't help but feel her cheeks flush a little. It was like several of the dreams she'd had of Ash swooping in and rescuing her. "I-I'm alright. Thank you, Ash," she said, smiling.

Ash helped Serena to her feet as their Pokémon rushed over to surround them. "What happened?" he asked. "You were looking great out there until the Stone Edge started to fall."

Serena laughed to herself, breaking eye contact with him. "I guess that's my fault," she said. "I heard you and Pikachu, and I guess I lost focus." Pancham crossed his arms and nodded in response to Serena's words, adding his own commentary. "I was surprised to see you," she continued. "I thought you might sleep for the rest of the night."

Ash pounded his chest with his fist. "And miss dinner? C'mon, you know that's not me at all!" Pikachu sighed at Ash's open declaration of gluttony, smiling sheepishly.

Serena giggled. "You're right. You'd never miss a meal if you had anything to say about it!"

Ash laughed along with her before the image of Bonnie reappeared in his mind, silently taunting him, and he abruptly stopped, drawing the concerned stares of everyone gathered around him. "Serena, can I ask you something?"

Serena looked back at him, blinking blankly. "Sure, Ash. What is it?"

He looked her in the eye, focusing on her bright blue irises. "Bonnie said that you were lying earlier during the battle, and that you really were upset when you said you weren't. Is that true?" There was a small amount of hurt in his voice as his concern bubbled over into his words.

Serena took a step back, a nervous blush appearing on her face. "I-uh…" she stammered before bowing. "I'm sorry, Ash. I didn't mean to lie to you, but I knew you weren't being yourself out there, and I thought that Calem's words about me were getting to you." She stood back up, concern and sadness on her face. "I… I just wanted you to focus on the battle you were in instead of me."

Ash's expression softened. "Well… thank you for caring so much about helping me," he said, smiling gently, causing Serena to smile back. "I guess I was..." he paused, trying to pick the right words. Scratching his nose, he continued. "Serena, you mean a lot to me, and he said I was hurting you, and I guess I thought if I was doing that, I should stop that before I could do any battling…"

"W-Well, I mean…" she stuttered.

"So… Calem was right, then?" he asked, once again becoming worried. "Am I… hurting you?"

She shook her head nervously, her cheeks flushing again somewhat. "I-It's not like that! I mean, what Calem meant was…"

"What am I doing wrong?" he asked, surging towards her in a few steps. "You're my friend, Serena. You know I'd never hurt you on purpose, right? So what am I doing that's hurting you on accident?"

Serena stomped her foot. "Y-You're not hurting me! It's just…"

Ash stepped closer and put his hands on her shoulders. "Serena, you've gotta tell me. If I don't know what I'm doing wrong, how can I stop it?"

Serena felt her voice catch in her throat. "A-Ash…" she said, swallowing half her words. The performer's face was nearly overtaken by her blush, but she calmly put her hands on Ash's and removed them from her shoulders. "You… sometimes things happen around you, and you don't seem to understand them…"

Ash frowned. "I don't understand them?" Bonnie's comment came back earlier. "Yeah, Bonnie said the same thing!"

The performer nodded. "Y-Yeah, and so when certain things happen around you, it feels like you ignore them, or you don't pay them any attention.

Ash furrowed his brow. "…so you're saying… that you're doing something, and I'm not paying any attention to it?"

Serena nodded, smiling. "Right! It's… a little frustrating sometimes, I guess, but I mean, it doesn't bother me. Usually."

Ash looked straight at her. "Well, why not just tell me?"

Serena's face lit up to match the shade of her fedora. "T-Tell you?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah! I mean, if it's that important that it bothers you sometimes, then you should get it off your chest!"

Serena looked at his earnest face. Was he really asking her what she thought he was? "Pancham," the Playful Pokémon said, glaring at her, interrupting her train of thought. "Chamcham Pancham!"

She looked at Pancham and nodded. "You're right." Refocusing her eyes on Ash, she took a deep breath. It was now or never. She had to tell him how she felt. "Ash… I have something to confess…"

Ash stared at her blankly. "Something to confess?"

She nodded, her cheeks lighting up a bright shade of pink. "Ash… I've… felt like this for a really long time… I-I… ever since we met up again back, I've always noticed…" Serena kept fumbling her words. "What I'm trying to say is… Ash, I really really… like you."

Ash looked back at her for a moment and processed what she said.

"I really like you, too, Serena."

Serena gasped, her eyes sparkling with joy as a squeak escaped from her mouth. "Y-You do…?"

The trainer pumped his fist. "Yeah! You're one of my best friends!"

Serena's joy disappeared. "Y-Yeah," she said hesitantly. "You're one of my best friends, too."

Ash noticed her expression falling. "W-Well, it's more than that…!" he added, the words falling out of his mouth on their own.

Serena looked up at him again, hopeful. "What do you mean?"

"What do I mean…?" Ash asked himself out loud. He swallowed, and relied on his memories. "W-Well, I mean, it's like what you said yesterday. We're a family."

Serena smiled. "A family?"

Ash nodded back. "Right! Family might not always completely understand each other, but they don't have to! A family sticks is there for each other, supporting each other in everything they do. Sometimes they don't get along like Bonnie and Clemont do, but they're always there for each other! We're gonna be together forever! We're a family!"

Serena smiled at his explanation. "Right… we're a family, Ash."

"And a family sticks together no matter what!" he cheered before pausing. "What I mean is… Serena, we met each other a long time ago, and I'm glad that you came back into my life, and I'm glad you decided to stay with us now. I know Calem is a really good friend of yours, but you mean a lot to us here, too, and I wanted to say…" He paused again, laughing a little as he scratched his nose. "...I wanted to say thank you for that."

Serena smiled, her cheeks tinted a happy rose. "...You're welcome, Ash. I'm glad to be here with you."

Satisfied that everything was resolved, Ash nodded. "C'mon. We should get the rest of our family together for dinner. I'm starving, and I'm sure everyone else is, too."

The honey-blonde girl nodded. "Right! Go get Clemont, and I'll get Bonnie, and we'll see you guys at the cafeteria, okay?"

"You've got it!" Ash said before turning to his Pokémon. "C'mon, let's move it!"

All of Ash's Pokémon cheered but Pikachu cheered and followed the boy as he raced back through the doors, into the Pokémon Center. Pikachu looked backwards and shot Serena a sympathetic look, as if to say 'I'm sorry' before the doors closed and he disappeared from view.

"Pancham, Cham Pancham," the Playful Pokémon said, looking up at Serena with annoyance on his face.

Serena shrugged. "I… guess he didn't really understand how I feel after all…"

"Pancham, cham Pancham Pan Pancham Pan Pancham!"

"Braixen!" the Fox Pokémon exclaimed, slapping Pancham in the back with her stick, causing the Fighting-Type to wince.

"Alright, cool it, you two," Serena said, sticking a hand between the two. "You're bickering like brother and sister over this. Ash'll… work things out in his own way. I'm sure he'll figure it out... eventually… even if I have to tell him all over again… right?"

Pancham scoffed at her question.

* * *

Serena had finally tied her bow on just right. The rest of the day had gone by pretty uneventfully, and it finally seemed like things were starting to go back to normal. She thought about how the past three days had gone, all a matter of chance since that random attack by Team Rocket. There were moments where Ash seemed to be opening up to her and growing closer, and moments where Ash seemed to be bitten by jealousy over her friendship with Calem. She smiled to herself, feeling her hope grow. She helped Ash regain his composure and bring out Greninja's transformation against Calem. She was giving back to him, just like she had hoped for since she had turned down Palermo's offer. Now, she was ready for bed, and to continue their walk towards Snowbelle City and Ash's next Gym battle.

Serena stepped out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom that she shared with Ash, Clemont, and Bonnie. The others had already turned in for the night, each of them already having dozed off. Serena quietly tiptoed towards her bed when her foot slipped on a piece of paper on the ground. The performer quickly caught herself, but the piece of paper was kicked into the air, slipping just beneath to Ash's bed.

' _Who could have left…_?" Serena thought to herself. Though the lighting was dim, only coming in from the bathroom, she could tell that the paper was, in fact, an envelope. Serena frowned. ' _Did someone… slip this through the door?'_

She crouched down and crawled along the ground quietly, trying not to disturb her friends. The performer's curiosity ate at her as she edged closer to Ash's bed and tried to reach for it.

Just then, something landed on her head.

Turning her eyes upward, she saw Ash's hand laying off the side of the bed, grasping the bow on her head.

"Ri… ribbon…" Ash muttered in his sleep.

Serena paused and listened for him to say anything else.

"Thank you…"

Serena felt her face heating up. Ash was dreaming about… her and the ribbon?

Ash tossed again, letting go of the ribbon. "Thank… th… Thunderbolt…" he whispered, still lost in his dream.

Serena sighed in relief and reached for the envelope, taking it before quickly crawling back from Ash's bed.

Standing, she examined the envelope, and gasped. Her name was written very plainly on it. ' _Is this for me…?'_ She thought, frowning. She glanced around before retreating to the bathroom and closing the door.

She sat the envelope on the counter and looked at it. "I wonder who it's from... there's no name or anything on it other than mine…" She ran through some ideas in her head. Maybe Calem wrote an apology letter or something? She opened the envelope and took out the note inside, causing a few photographs to spill out with it. The photographs caught Serena's eyes before she could read the note.

There were four pictures, and all of them were pictures of Ash. In each picture with Ash, he was with a different girl. Furrowing her eyebrows, she opened the note and began to read it.

"Serena," it said. "There's a lot you don't know about that boy. Including these friends of his."

Serena picked up the photographs and sprawled them across the sink. There were four of them in total, and the girls were varied as well. One picture showed Ash dancing with a red-headed girl at a traditional Kantonese festival. Another showed him handing ice cream to a brown-haired girl.

She returned to the note. "If he never understood how these girls felt about him, what makes you think he'll ever understand how you feel?"

The performer gasped. "Did… did all of these girls have a crush on Ash…?"

Looking at the next two photos, she saw Ash and a blue-haired girl playfully splashing each other in a river somewhere as well as Ash and a girl with purple hair sitting together, cheering in a stadium.

Serena's heart sank. She knew that Ash had been travelling across the world for a long time, but she never considered that he would have had _this_ many friends who were also girls…

She looked over the images again. She admitted to herself that they definitely didn't have romantic context to most of them, but the doubts were beginning to take root in her mind.

"...if… if none of these girls could reach Ash… if they had feelings for him that he never returned… then… where does that leave me? I-I mean I knew he had a hard time getting it but… what if he really never can get it…? What if he never understands how I feel…?"

The performer slumped down onto the bathroom floor and began to cry.

* * *

 **"Alright, everyone! Let's go together! Towards the next adventure!"**

"Serena... she hasn't been herself today..."

"I know, big brother, but do you know why?"

"It's... something to do with... Ash?"

"Geez, you're as dense as he is. Let's go see what they're talking about!"

 **"Next time, Pokémon XY &Z The ABC's of Love! The Key in the Past!"**

 **"Everyone, go keep'em all!"**


	10. The Key in the Past!

**Well, all you guys did ask for Serena's confession to be uninterrupted, right? :p I'm kidding, that was the plan from the start.**

 **I wanna thank That'sMe33, Pokemonmeat, pokemon fan 1991, FantasyLover88, LittleLitten, ultimateCCC, Epicocity, Anondamoose, DoodleRose, and Nexxus176 for reviewing since last time! This time, we're going to take a bit of a closer look at something. I hope it comes across well! I've had this scene in mind since I started writing the story, and it should answer a question from quite a few chapters ago!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10: The Key in the Past!**

It was oddly quiet at breakfast that morning. The kind of quiet that almost put Ash off his breakfast.

Serena was quiet the entire meal, and when Bonnie asked when they were going to leave and continue towards Snowbelle City, the performer excused herself, saying she felt bad, and went back to the room to lay down.

Ash had gone to the battlefield for training, but no matter what he did, he couldn't get his mind off of Serena. Seeing her so downcast made him worried. She was usually the brightest and happiest of the entire group.

"Pika!"

Ash looked down at his partners, all staring at him as he zoned out during training. "Sorry, guys… I guess I'm just worried about Serena. She really didn't seem like herself this morning."

"Pikapi, Pipika pipikachu!" The rest of Ash's Pokémon nodded in agreement.

Ash nodded as well. "Right! It's obvious! I'll just go ask her what's the matter and see if I can help!"

And that's what brought him before the locked door of the room in the Pokémon Center. He knocked a few times before he heard a peep from the other side.

"...yes?" Serena's voice was soft and timid, making Ash's heart jump. "Who is it?"

"It's me," he said, the confidence he displayed before Pikachu and the others fading. "I… Serena, it's not like you to close yourself off like this. I can tell something's up. What's wrong?"

There was a moment of silence before there was some shuffling on the other side of the door as the performer opened the door to Ash. She's not wearing her hat, her red fedora sitting on the bed behind her. Serena's expression is entirely downcast, her red, puffy eyes not rising at all to meet Ash's once the door is opened. She says nothing to him, despite her lip quivering, trying to find the words to express what she's feeling.

Ash looked at her, so sad and broken, and felt his own heart sink. He reached out to her, trying to put his hand on her shoulder. Serena responded by taking a step back, causing Ash to pause in confusion.

"Serena…?"

She looked up at him when he said her name, her eyes still watering. "Ash…"

Ash looked around her, trying to see some clue as to why she was acting this way. Behind her, on the bed, covered sloppily by her fedora were some photographs. Ash frowned. "...are those pictures making you sad, Serena?"

"It's… they're…" Serena mumbled, struggling with her words.

Ash walked past her and picked up the fedora to get a better look at the pictures, and he let out a gasp.

They were pictures of him. Four pictures, in total. He recognized all of them, of course. The time he and Misty danced at the Maiden's Peak festival, and that time he tried to cheer up May after she lost in Hoenn's Grand Festival. A watermelon in the water of the photo of him and Dawn reminded him that it was close to Michina when this particular one was taken, and the last was when he and Iris had gone to watch a football game in Nimbasa City.

Suddenly Ash felt nervous. He looked up to Serena and swallowed. "I… these pictures… what… why do you have them?"

As Serena stood formulating her words, Bonnie stepped into the doorway. "Serena, I was so worried! You were all couped up-"

And at that moment, Clemont put a hand over her mouth and stepped backwards with her. "Bonnie… I think we may be intruding on something…"

"As for where I got the pictures, _Ash Ketchum_ ," Serena spat the last two words at him, making Ash flinch, "someone sent them to me in a letter. But I have a question for you."

Ash swallowed and played with the red fedora in his hands nervously. "W-What's the question?"

"Who are these girls?" she asked. "Who are they to you?"

Ash sighed, relaxing a little. "Oh, is that all? These girls are my friends, Serena!" he said, almost cheerfully.

" _Just_ your friends?" she fired back pointedly. "None of them were… more than that?"

Ash furrowed his brow. "More than a friend?"

"Did any of them like you, Ash?" She asked again.

He shrugged. "I mean, Misty and I fought a bunch, and Iris kept calling me a little kid, but yeah, they like me. We're all friends."

"Are any of them extra special to you?" This question came out more pained as Serena stepped closer to him.

"Extra…?" Ash scratched the back of his head. "You've lost me, Serena. I don't understand."

"Exactly!" Serena shouted at him. Even Clemont began to gasp at Serena's behavior. The honey-blonde shook her head. "You travelled with _all_ of these girls. You spent so much time with them… so much time with me… and you never understood how any of us felt, for even a second!"

Ash stepped back. "I didn't understand?" he parroted. "I really don't understand what's happening now…"

"You'll _never_ understand! Not how any of them felt, or how I feel!" Serena's hand went to her chest, and grasped the end of the blue ribbon she wore. She yanked hard on it, unravelling it from around her neck before throwing it in Ash's face. "You're hopeless!"

And with those words, Serena turned her back on Ash and ran from the room, pushing past Clemont and Bonnie.

"Serena! Wait!" Ash cried, reaching out for her, the girl's fedora still in her hands as the ribbon fell to the ground. He reached down and picked the ribbon up. "What happened?"

" _What happened_?" Bonnie shouted in disbelief as Dedenne poked his head out of the pochette. "You're telling me you _still_ don't get it?"

Clemont put his hands on his younger sister's shoulders. "H-hey now, that's enough, Bonnie, I don't think Ash needs to hear this-"

"If no one tells him, I don't think he'll _ever_ get it!" the small girl snapped back. "Ash, you're a blockhead for not understanding!" She looked up at Clemont. "I'm going to try and find Serena. You stay here and make sure he doesn't make anything worse!"

"But Bonnie-!" The inventor tried to intervene, but Bonnie quickly slipped out of his grip and ran out the room, chasing in the direction Serena ran off in. Clemont turned around to see Ash stepping backwards before falling clumsily on the bed, falling on top of the pictures with Serena's hat and ribbon in his hands. "Ash, maybe we should go after them…?"

Ash looked at the items in his hands and shook his head. "...I dunno if that'd help things, Clemont.. I… don't even understand what's goin' on."

Clemont sat down on the bed next to him. "Well, it appears to me that Serena… is really upset that you don't really understand how she feels."

Ash nodded. "...I've kinda put that much together, yeah. But how does she feel? I mean, she's a really important friend to me."

"You two do have a history," the inventor mused. "After all, it's not often two friends from the years past just meet up with each other again."

"Serena was actually one of the very first friends I made…" he admitted.

Clemont blinked. "Come again? But I thought you two had only met that one time? You never mentioned anything about spending time with her back then."

Ash shook his head, sighing as he lay back on the bed, holding Serena's belongings close to him. "Well… it's true that we didn't really talk much beyond that time we already talked about, but I guess I never said why I was in the forest, looking for that Poliwag to begin with."

The Gym Leader frowned at Ash. "I guess you don't really talk about your past very much… we didn't even know about those girls you travelled with."

Ash let another sigh escape his mouth. "Well… back when I was a little kid, there weren't too many kids growing up in Pallet Town," he explained, closing his eyes as he spoke, trying to visualize the time. "The most popular was Professor Oak's grandson, a guy named Gary. He and I haven't always gotten along, and we weren't exactly friends back then…"

* * *

 _Ash Ketchum was in the woods, alone, hiking. He wore a red-and-yellow tank top and blue-jean shorts and an excited smile on his face._

 _But then, he was usually alone, in the woods. His mother was too busy running Pallet Town's only restaurant to look after him much, and as for friends… well, most of the children in Pallet preferred to spend their time with the young Gary Oak, grandson of the world-famous Professor Samuel Oak. Ash, himself, liked spending time at Gary's grandfather's laboratory, and he even had run into Gary a few times, though the brown-haired boy was usually somewhat standoffish._

 _And so, Ash was hiking in the woods, looking for a friend he could count on. A Pokémon._

 _Ash loved Pokémon with all his heart. He had found them in the woods around Pallet Town several times before, and while they didn't always trust him, they were very friendly once they got to know him. Today, he wasn't searching for any Pokémon in particular. He was just lonely and wanted to have fun._

 _Being lonely was something that Ash dealt with a lot. His mother was always very busy with work related to the restaurant, so there would be times, especially during the summer, when Ash would spend a great deal of time alone. It was for this reason - to assuage this loneliness - that Ash's mother signed him up for Professor Oak's Pokémon Summer Camp that year. Ash didn't mind it, much. There were tons of activities where he got to play with Pokémon, and even some where he got to battle with them!_

 _There were lots of other children there, too, but Ash didn't really pay them much mind. None of them seemed that interested in him, and he was more interested in Pokémon, anyway._

 _It was getting late, though, and there was some free-time before the cafeteria opened for dinner, so Ash decided that he would go look for a Pokémon to play with. So he wandered away from camp and headed into the forest, alone._

 _It wasn't very far into the forest before Ash crossed a pretty rickety wooden bridge, looking at the water below and seeing a family of Poliwag swimming along. He called down to the Poliwag, waving at them. "Hey there! Do you guys wanna play?"_

 _Most of the Poliwag looked up at him before diving back under the water, but one Poliwag decided to humor the human and hopped out of the river, up along the rocks until he landed before Ash. Ash smiled and slowly approached it. "Hello there, Poliwag," he said quietly, as to not spook the Tadpole Pokémon. "I hope you don't mind me getting this close." The bridge creaked under his feet, causing Poliwag to jump and begin to hop away. "Aww, Poliwag, come back!" he called after it._

 _The Poliwag stopped after Ash called and looked back at the boy, hopping a little. "Poli?" it asked._

" _Hey, if you wanted to play tag, you should have asked!" he responded with a grin._

 _Laughing, he once again began following the hopping Poliwag through the forest. All the Pokémon he'd ever met were friendly, and this Poliwag as no exception. He hadn't really met many friendly people. His mom, maybe. Gary was as close to a friend he had, and even then, Gary usually used him as an example of what not to do._

 _Ash came to a stop as a shrill call of "M-Mommy!" from the bushes ahead of him. He furrowed his brow. "That wasn't Poliwag, right?"_

 _He crawled through the bushes, calling out "Poliwag?" As he came through, he caught sight of a child he hadn't seen before, laying on the forest floor. She was a girl in a pink dress and a straw hat, with her face cringing shut as if she was worried someone would strike her. Ash could see where the tears had run down her cheeks, and he grew concerned. "Hey…" Ash asked, point to her. "Are you alright?"_

 _The girl opened her bright blue eyes and looked up at him. She looked scared, like Ash had seen Pokémon who weren't used to humans. Ash gave her a smile and decided to try and break the tension. "Hi," he said, smiling. "I'm Ash! Who're you?" The girl continued looking at him, her mouth hanging open. Ash frowned. Usually this was when the Pokémon introduced itself to him. "Hey, what's wrong?"_

 _The girl looked down at her knee. "I hurt… my leg…" she sniffled out._

 _Ash had come across injured Pokémon before, and he had remembered what his mother had told him to do. "Don't worry," he told her, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a blue handkerchief. His mother had taught him that applying pressure can help relieve pain slightly. He crawled closer to the girl in the straw hat. "See this?" he said, holding the handkerchief up. "This'll make it better."_

 _He brought the handkerchief to her knee and tied the handkerchief tightly around it. The girl watched him quietly, her eyes moving to his gentle hands as he pulled the knot. "All done!" he said._

 _The straw hat girl tried to put her weight on her leg, but recoiled almost immediately. Ash nodded. In times like this, it helped to get the Pokémon's mind off the pain by doing something silly to distract them. He sat up and looked at her. "Now watch this!" He hovered his hands over her knee, moving them as though he was a wizard casting a spell. "Feel better, feel better, right away!"_

 _The straw-hat girl looked at him, blinking a little. She tried to stand again, but once more her face flashed with the pain she felt. "It still hurts… I can't stand up…" she said, her sadness building, the tears in her eyes threatening to once again spill down her cheeks._

 _Ash stood up and, putting his hands on his hips, like he had seen his mother do when he felt like giving up. And he repeated her words. "Don't give up 'til it's over, 'kay?" He offered her his hand, saying "Come on" and smiling brightly. Pokémon usually responded to bright smiles like this, and this girl was no exception. She reached up towards him, and Ash took her hand, pulling her to her feet, putting an arm around her as he did. The girl looked at him, her eyes wide with surprise. Ash just grinned at her. "There you go!" he beamed at her. He felt pride well up inside him that she was able to stand up with his help._

 _Ash looked up and realized the sun was setting before he turned to the girl. "I think we should be getting back to the campsite, kay?" he said, tugging on her hand. "C'mon."_

 _The girl said nothing as they walked hand in hand, Ash leading her back through the woods back towards summer camp._

* * *

Clemont nodded as Ash recounted the tale. "That's… very interesting, Ash. I think I might have learned something, listening to you."

Ash looked over to him. "What's that?"

"Whenever you described Serena in your story, you talked about her like she was a Pokémon," he said. "You said she was one of your first friends, but if you only think about her in terms you relate to your Pokémon, maybe it seems to her that you don't value your friendship with her the way she does."

Ash sat up, a scowl quickly growing on his face. "Hey, I care about my Pokémon more than anybody!"

Clemont gasped, as if the pieces were starting to come together. "Then, Ash… do you care about Serena more than anybody, too?"

Ash paused, himself, mulling that question over. "Do I?" He frowned. "Well… maybe her Mom cares about her more than I do, but I care about Serena a whole lot!" He said, starting to get more passionate as he spoke. "More than anyone else, even Calem! He wasn't there, cheering her on in the Showcases, or trying to teach her how to battle, or helping her find out just what she wanted to do! He just kept treating her like she belonged to him, when Serena really only belongs to herself!" He paused again, thinking about what he was saying. "Clemont…" he looked over at the inventor. "I bet Serena thinks I don't care about her… I mean, that explains it, right?"

Clemont nodded. "It is a decent hypothesis," he said.

Ash hopped off the bed and onto his feet. "Then we've gotta do something! We have to find her so I can tell her I care!"

Clemont stood and gave Ash a confident smile. "Right. We can't let her leave thinking you don't care about her. But there is are a few more questions I have." The Lumiose Gym Leader leaned over and picked up the four pictures Ash was just laying on. "...where did these pictures come from? And who sent them to Serena?"

Ash looked over them again as he clenched Serena's fedora and ribbon in his hands. "I don't know… but whoever it is, these go back to when I was just getting started as a trainer, back in the Kanto Region."

Clemont took the photos and slipped them into his pocket. "I'm starting to form a hypothesis as to where these came from… but right now, finding Serena is more important."

Ash pumped his fist. "Right! I'm gonna go find my Pokémon. I'll need their help, and then we'll chase after Serena!"

* * *

A cold wind blew through the trees, chilling the young blonde as she ran. But young Bonnie wasn't about to give up her chase, even if Squishy refused to do that cool 'turn-into-a-canine' thing and help her out. The green blob slept peacefully in her pochette while Bonnie followed the footprints Serena left behind as she ran away from the Pokémon Center.

"Serena? Where are you?" Bonnie called out. "Come back!" Dedenne cooed quietly from his spot in Bonnie's pochette as they searched.

But then, Bonnie found her.

Serena sat on a rock in the forest, holding her face in her hands as she sobbed softly. The sight of her friend so upset brought the little girl's heart low. "Serena…?" she asked as she drew closer.

Serena looked up at Bonnie, her eyes red from all the crying she had been doing recently. She sniffles before she speaks. "...he'll never get it. Ever."

Bonnie sat down on the rock next to her. That she knew was just a fact taken for granted now. "Well, he is a dumb boy," Bonnie responded bluntly. "You know dumb boys aren't always the first to pick up on this stuff. Even my brother doesn't have a clue, as smart as he is."

"When I thought it was just me," Serena murmured, "I guess I was okay with it. I guess there was hope that Ash would eventually see me differently… see me the same way I saw him…" She looked at Bonnie. "There were four other girls he traveled with. I've never met them, and I don't know how each of them feel about Ash… but neither does he. And if he's gone through this four other times… if each of those girls had the same crush on him that I have… then what hope do I have? He never noticed any of them. He'll never see me as…"

Bonnie put a hand on her older friend's shoulder. "C'mon, Serena, you know Ash cares about you!" she pleaded. "He's just really bad at words!"

Serena put her hand to her chest, feeling for the ribbon that was no longer there. "I… I don't know, Bonnie…" She felt unprotected without the ribbon there. Like it provided the same comfort she used to draw from her long hair, the same safety. "I don't think Ash is ever going to understand how I feel…"

The performer stood up. "I… I'm done."

Bonnie blinked. "You're done?"

"I can't follow Ash around anymore."

This declaration caused the young girl to gasp. "Serena, you don't mean that, right?"

She took a few steps forward, keeping her back turned to Bonnie. "I do. I can't go back and see Ash… It's just… too heartbreaking."

"But Serena, maybe we can explain it to him!" Bonnie jumped to her feet, Dedenne making the same arm-pumping gesture she did. "If he's too stupid to get it on his own-"

"I'm not talking to him again!" Serena said, stepping away. "You don't understand, Bonnie. This is the end! It's over!"

Bonnie felt her heart breaking. "Serena, but don't you always say-"

"I'm never saying that ever again! Don't follow me this time, Bonnie!" Serena shouted her words, still refusing to face the young girl. Tears began to flow from her cheeks once more as she fled further into the forest.

"Serena! Wait!" Bonnie called, her words echoing against the trees. But the performer didn't heed them as she ran further and further away from her friends.

Another chill wind blew, and Bonnie wrapped her arms around herself. Clearly talking to Serena wasn't going to work, so instead, Bonnie would head to the source. She turned around and ran back towards the Pokémon Center. Towards Ash.

* * *

 **"C'mon, everyone! Let's go together! Towards our next adventure!"**

"Serena's out there missing, and it's my fault... I gotta find her..."

"Not so fast! Ash, you can't go before we talk! There's so much you don't understand!"

"Bonnie?! What do you need to tell me?"

"I've got to teach you the basics! The ABC's, of course!"

 **"Next time, Pokémon XY &Z: The ABC's of Love!"**

 **"Everyone, go keep'em all!"**


	11. The ABC's Of Love!

**Hello there! I understand that there's some discontent with how Serena acted in the last chapter, and while it's no excuse, I suppose for the story to unfold the way I've envisioned, I had to have her depart the group, so her overreaction was... well, an overreaction. I'm sorry for any disruptions you experienced due to this.**

 **Anyway, this Chapter should go a way towards working through most of the problems that we've experienced, and explain a few actions that have been taken by our characters. I want to thank RobSp1derp1g, Anondamoose, pokemonfan 1991, Bluejack222, FantasyLover88, IadoreAMOUR, DoodleRose, ultimateCCC, Tuxedo Pearl, Epicocity, and Q-A the Authoress for reviewing since last time! Seeing all these names so excited to see me continue the story makes me excited to keep writing, so I hope you all enjoy the next part!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11 - The ABC's of Love**

The further Serena Gabena ran, the colder it seemed like it became.

She didn't realize how close they were to Snowbelle City, and the chill of the mountain heights began to cut through her. It was times like this she wished she had dressed more sensibly for cold weather. Another howl of wind blew through, blowing her jacket all around her as she tried to keep her skirt from flipping up. She wasn't even sure where she was heading, at this point. She just knew that looking at that brown-eyed boy from Pallet Town broke her heart, and that she couldn't do it anymore.

Serena ran passed a tree and saw a campfire ahead. She began racing towards the warmth of the heat when she paused, feeling like she was being watched.

"Ab."

Serena looked up at the trees and saw, looming above her, the form of the Disaster Pokémon. Absol jumped down and stood between her and the fire, and the performer quickly put the situation together.

Summoned closer by the sound of Absol landing, Calem stepped through the trees and saw her standing there. "Yvonne?" The honey-blonde opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't form any words. Calem frowned and came closer. "What's going on? Why are you out here by yourself?" Taking a closer look at her, he raised his eyebrows in surprise. "...where is that ribbon you were wearing?"

At the mention of the ribbon, Serena once more broke down. "Oh Xavier, you were right," she said, tears flowing once more. "Ash just doesn't understand. He'll never get it. I even told him to his face and he was just his dense, oblivious self!" She clenched her fists at her side as she spoke, feeling the frustration and despair flow through her eyes. "I can't believe someone could be so… so.."

Calem drew closer and pulled her into a hug. "It's alright, Yvonne," he said. "You're going to be fine. That Ash won't be able to hurt you anymore."

Serena nodded, the tears continuing to flow. "Ash… he was the first person to really try to reach out to me after…"

Calem leaned back, looking at her. "After what?"

She shook her head despondently, looking away. "...the reason my Mom sent me to that camp in the first place was to try and get my mind off of… my father's death."

Calem gasped. "You… talked about your father dying a few times… But I didn't meet you until after you came back from that Summer Camp." His expression dropped to a more serious and sullen expression. "So… that's why Ash's words stuck with you for so long…"

Serena nodded, sniffling. "It as… it was that phrase that helped me through it. I was so depressed and I felt so lost without him, but Ash told me… not to give up until it was over… that positivity really helped me, Xavier… I wouldn't be who I am without it."

Calem took her by the hand and began leading her to the campfire. "...look, let's try to get you to warm up, first. You've had a rough day so far… you'll have to tell me more about what happened to get you to run away."

Serena nodded. "O-Okay… I'll tell you what happened."

* * *

The further Ash Ketchum ran, the colder things seemed to get. The icy wind cut through his jacket like a knife, and he could feel the cold start to take hold. But he held tight into Serena's red fedora, wearing her blue ribbon on his wrist as he kept moving forward, only stopping occasionally to look back at his blonde friend. "C'mon, Clemont! We've gotta find Serena before it gets dark!" Pikachu, perched on Ash's shoulder, called out to the inventor as well.

Clemont heaved his backpack. "I'm moving as fast as I can," he panted. "Are you sure she came this way?"  
"Talonflame said that Serena's footprints lead this way!" Ash turned and kept running forward,moving at a brisk pace, still worried about Serena. "We've just gotta find her so I can tell her that I do care!"

The two boys ran further into the forest, both occasionally taking looks skyward. The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains now, and the forest was being covered in twilight. Just when Ash was beginning to consider sending Talonflame back out for more reconnaissence, Pikachu's cheeks began to spark. "Pikapi! Pipipi ka Chupika pikachu!"

A wide smile grew on the Palletonian's face. "Clemont! Dedenne's nearby! Maybe Bonnie found Serena!"

"That's… good to hear," he wheezed. "I can't wait to head back to the Pokémon Center…"

Just as soon as Clemont said that, however, Bonnie came tumbling through the bushes, alone but for Dedenne and Squishy. "There you guys are!" she said expectantly. "I was worried you wouldn't catch up!"

"Bonnie, did you find Serena?" Ash asked. "Where is she?"

At the question, the young girl's expression fell. "Ash, she's really really upset!" she said sadly. "I don't think I've ever seen her this heartbroken…"

Ash grunted, and his shoulders sagged. "This is all my fault. I was such a blockhead that she doesn't think I care about her."

Bonnie perked up. "Wait, are you saying that you care about Serena the same way she does about you?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah. I need to tell Serena that she's one of my best friends!"

At those words, Bonnie's smile turned into an exasperated frown. "Ash, you _still_ don't get it!" she shouted. "Serena _loves_ you, but you're too thick to get it unless someone tells you to your face!"

Ash gasped at Bonnie's words. "She… _loves_ me?" Instantly his mind jumped back to Anistar City Gym Leader Olympia's portent about Greninja and himself.

" _However, what this Froakie was yearning for was something much deeper than that,_ " the psychic had spoken about the connections between trainers and Pokémon, speaking specifically about Ash's Pokémon. " _I have a word for it. That word is_ love."

"Yearning for something much deeper…" Ash repeated to himself. "Love…"

Clemont, who had finally caught up, heaved as he spoke. "Wait… Bonnie… Are you saying that Serena is romantically interested in Ash?"

"Why do you think I've never asked her to be a keeper?!" Bonnie pouted. "It's been obvious to me since Day 1!"

"Serena wanted something… wanted love…" Ash continued talking to himself. "And I wasn't able to give it to her… so she left… just like Greninja left all those trainers that didn't give it love…" He pulled his hat down over his eyes. "Man… Eheh… I really blew it, didn't I guys?"

"You sure did," Bonnie said, crossing her arms. "You may be great with Pokémon, Ash, but you really don't understand girls at all."

"Well…!" Ash started to speak up, but his voice caught in his throat for a moment before he shook his head. "...well, in my defense I've raised like forty Pokémon, but I've really only ever known about 6 girls, including you, Bonnie."

Bonnie nodded sagely. "Well, then, it's obvious to me what we've gotta do! I've gotta teach you the basics!"

Clemont adjusted his glasses. "You're going to give Ash a crash-course on romance?"

"Of course!" Bonnie beamed. "I'll teach him the ABC's of love!"

Ash took a nervous step back. "W-Wait, you guys… a-are we even sure that I should be getting taught this? I mean, don't I have to love Serena first?"

Clemont's glasses began to shine, reflecting the evening sun through the trees. "Actually, Ash, based on what we've discussed earlier… I think you _do_ love her."

Ash blinked in the direction of the inventor. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you _do_ love your Pokémon," he explained. "You said you care about them more than anyone, and you brought up Olympia's prophecy about Greninja and it needing love from it's trainers. And when you talked about Serena in that story you told me, you described her as a you would a Pokémon. I'd say that there's a pretty solid foundation there for you loving Serena."

Ash looked at Clemont, but was more focused on his thoughts. It was like a paradigm shift in the way he saw things. Of course he loved his Mom, and his Pokémon, but girls had always escaped him as something that he could love. They were always just his friends, people he travelled with and spoke to like… any of his other friends. "I… I really care about Serena. A lot. I-uh… I guess I'd even say I love her… but I mean… don't people usually act weird and crazy when they're in love? Another friend of mine was always proposing to girls he liked, kinda like Bonnie does."

The girl laughed. "Well, I dunno about crazy, but you _did_ act pretty weird when Calem was around."

Ash furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"Every time Calem had Serena's attention, it was obvious that it put you in a bad mood," Bonnie explained, raising a finger into the air. "You were totally jealous of her 'best friend' coming back around, and you made really awkward interruptions just to have the attention brought back to you. Honestly, it's how a little kid would deal with someone taking something away from them."

Ash's mind raced through his actions over the past few days, since Calem had appeared. He remembered the sick feeling in this stomach when he saw Serena and Calem talking and smiling together. He remembered wanting to interrupt several times to try to get Serena to pay more attention to him, and the several times that he did, like when he offered to train with Serena. He remembered both Bonnie and Calem calling him jealous and possessive. He remembered his utter relief when Serena had told him that she was going to stay with them. With him.

He pursed his lips together, lowering his head. "...that's what it's like to be jealous, huh? I guess I am a little kid. Heh." He pulls down on the brim of his hat before looking up at Bonnie. "That definitely explains why she got so upset. It's been right under my nose the entire time, but I never saw it…" The more his mind raced, the more obvious it was to him that Serena cared deeply. "She was always worried about me and tryin' to encourage me when things got tough. She helped in Santalune City, and she even tried to teach me how to dance so I could battle Korrina, and helped me in Coumarine at that festival… Serena really cared about me, but I just blew it because I… never thought about lookin' at her like that."

Bonnie put her hands on her hips and walked towards him. "Well, I wouldn't say you _completely_ blew it-"

"Bonnie!" Clemont interrupted "It's obvious that Ash is feeling bad about this! Why are you trying to rub salt in the wound?"

Ash raised an open palm to the inventor. "No, Clemont… I need this. This is just like when you lose a battle, and you gotta think about what happened and how you can improve for next time."

The blonde boy adjusted his glasses. "I see…"

" _As_ I was saying," Bonnie continued, Dedenne climbing from the pochette onto her shoulder, "you didn't totally mess up. There were even a few times you kinda did the _right_ thing, even if it was an accident."

Ash blinked at her. "I did? I showed her how I felt? When was that?"

The little girl rolled her eyes. "Well, that ribbon on your hand was probably the biggest one."

Ash looked down at the ribbon he had tied around his wrist. He remembered winning it at that monorail, and then… how he gave it to her. He didn't have a lot of things he felt appropriate to give her as a thank you present. He could have offered to train her, or given her some present he went out and bought or found in the forest, but she had already expressed so much joy at seeing the ribbon, and he remembered seeing how happy she was, and how happy that made him, so he gave it to her under the fireworks.

"So that's why she…" Ash muttered, the phrase completing itself in his head. At first, he was shocked that she had cut her hair, and so short at that. She was always talking about how important her appearance was, after all. But seeing her new outfit and hairstyle… he liked them. But he liked the ribbon most of all. She had found a use for the gift he had given her, something that he had given her on a whim. He was taken aback by her creativity, her ingenuity…

Ash was finally staring the truth in the face, as he stood there slackjawed, looking through Bonnie. He loved Serena. He had loved her for a long time. He just never realized what he was feeling until it was explained to him.

"...I need to find her," he said. "I need to tell her how I feel, so she doesn't think I don't…" he trailed off, the words leaving him briefly.

Clemont nodded. "Right. Once you explain everything to Serena, we can all go back to the Pokémon Center and put this all behind us."

Bonnie frowned. "You still don't know anything, Clemont! We can't be there when Ash tells Serena that he likes her! It'll just make her nervous and ruin the mood!"

Clemont sighed. "But, Bonnie, you're not really suggesting that Ash goes and looks for her by himself! It's almost nightfall and we don't know where she is!"

Ash scratched the back of his head. "It can't be that hard to find her, can it?" he asked.

As if responding to Ash's words, Squishy poked it's head out of Bonnie's pochette and hopped out, bounding along the ground a few times before stopping and closing it's eye. The mysterious green Pokémon seemed to glow a little, searching the area with it's Cells. The image of Serena sitting next to Calem at a campfire appeared before him, and he knew exactly which direction they were in. Squishy hopped along the ground a few more times, going around Ash and the others until he stopped. "Wololol!" he gestured, wiggling.

Bonnie's smile bloomed on her face. "Squishy, is Serena in that direction?"

"Wolo!"

Ash nodded. "Thanks, Squishy! I'll take it from here!" He turned to Clemont and Bonnie, pumping his fist. "Don't worry, guys! I'll bring Serena back with me! I promise!"

"Good luck, Ash," Clemont said with a nod.

"Don't give up 'til it's over, right?" Bonnie cheered.

He nodded back. "Right! And it's definitely not over yet, right, buddy?"

"Pikapika!"

And with that, Ash turned in the direction of Squishy and ran past him, charging through the trees of the forest.

"I can't believe he finally gets it…" Bonnie whispered under her breath.

"Wololo…" said Squishy.

* * *

 **"Alright, everyone! Let's go together! Towards our next adventure!"**

"Serena... I finally understand... I finally know how you feel... Don't worry, I'm coming! I'm coming to tell you I feel the same way! Please... don't give up... don't give up 'til it's over! And I'm coming to end it!"

 **"Next time, Pokémon XY &Z: The ABC's of Love! Don't Give Up On Me 'Til It's over!"**

 **"Everyone, go catch'em all!"**


	12. Don't Give Up On Me 'Til It's Over!

**I want to thank FantasyLover88, Pokemon 2016, RobSp1derp1g, Q-A the Authoress, ultimateCCC, Tuxedo Pearl, ModernMythics, IadoreAMOUR, Epicocity, Anondamoose, justareadersofar, and LittleLitten for reviewing since last time. This chapter is longer than the more recent ones, so I hope it keeps your interest the entire way!**

 **For those of you who follow the English Dub, "Championing a Research Battle!" aired last weekend, which is the final episode before the events of this story take place. I also went back and updated the titles on the author note on Chapter 3 if you're only checking the latest chapters out. But let's get started!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12. "Don't Give Up On Me 'Til It's Over!"**

Serena sat there at the campfire, staring into the flames. The sun had set behind the trees of the forest, painting the sky dark shades. She had just finished explaining what happened to Calem, who sat there next to her, equally quiet before clearing his throat.

"...I have a confession to make," he said, staring into the fire. "...I was the one who delivered that envelope."

Serena gasped and looked at over at her friend. "What do you mean? How… why?!"

The aspiring designer raised his hands. "Hold on. Let me explain. I didn't know what was in the envelope until you told me just now."

Serena frowned, not liking this new information. "You better explain fast, Xavier," she said.

"As I was leaving the Pokémon Center," he said, "I got a phone call from these weird people. A woman and two men. One tall, one really short. They said they saw my battle with Ash and that they wanted to help me get back at him and to try and convince you to come with me instead."

The performer paled. "...what are you saying, Calem…? Was this… just a plan to get me away from Ash?"

Calem shook his head. "No! Of course not!" He leaned away from Serena, letting his head droop. "...Yvonne… I'm sorry. I should have been upfront with you about how I felt. Instead, I let my jealousy over Ash twist me and I probably destroyed our friendship." He took off his red cap and placed it in his lap. "After I did-" he shrugged, "- _that_ , I figured that I would just… never say anything to you again. I'm really sorry that I was such a jerk to you."

Serena sighed, and gave him a calm smile. "Well… apology accepted, Calem. But, what about the envelope, then?"

"Well, I explained to the people who wanted to help me that I didn't want to bother you with this anymore, since I figured I'd just make you upset," he explained. "But they reminded me that while I've been in love with you for a long time, and it's hurt me… you've been in love with Ash, and it's hurt you, too. So I snuck into the Pokémon Center that night to… protect you. You're still my best friend, Yvonne. I just wanted to spare you the pain of loving someone who doesn't love you back."

Serena sighed. "Well... I guess your heart was in the right place," she said looking back at the fire. "...So was Ash's." She also leaned towards the fire, propping her head up with her hands. "Ash was just working with what he understood. It's not his fault that he doesn't understand when someone's in love with him. It's like how I didn't understand your feelings for me…"

Calem shrugged. "This whole situation has 'comedy of manners' written all over it," he said. "I was digging into you about Ash not understanding you when I couldn't tell that you didn't understand me so…" He turned to her and smiled, the fire reflecting off his grey eyes. "I know you don't feel about me how I feel about you, and that's alright. I've learned my lesson."

"Thanks, Xavier," Serena said with a smile. "And… I'm sorry that I don't feel the same way about you that you feel about me."

He waved her off. "Water under the bridge. Don't worry."

"Ab!" It was the cry of Absol, who was still watching over camp from the trees.

Calem stood. "Absol? What's the matter?" he asked, looking up.

"Serena!"

Serena stood immediately in response to the familiar voice. "It's Ash!"

Absol jumped off the branches, growling as he guarded the entrance to the place where Calem had set up camp as the raven-haired, brown-eyed trainer from Pallet Town came into view. When Absol landed before him, Ash Ketchum ground to a halt, Pikachu hopping from his shoulder and taking a defensive stance. "An Absol…?" Ash asked. "That means…."

"Well well…" Calem said, walking behind his Pokémon. "Looks like my humble little camp is getting all sorts of visitors."

Ash clenched his teeth and glared at Calem. "You!" he growled. "If you're here, then Serena…?"

The performer walked towards the two boys, staying behind Calem. The thing she noticed instantly was the ribbon around Ash's right wrist. The same blue ribbon she had tossed away in her moment of despair. She gripped towards her collar where it used to sit, still missing its warm protection. Looking to Ash's left hand, he still held her red fedora in his hand. "You… you have…"

Ash, meanwhile, saw Serena approach from behind Calem and felt a mix of relief at her safety and stomach-churning dread since she was behind the Vanivillian. "S-Serena! You're okay!" he called to her. "C-C'mon, we need to go…!"

Serena looked away from him, saying nothing. That didn't stop Calem from stepping up. "Fat chance," he said. "Serena ran out here to get away from you. I'm not going to let you come back and try to hurt my best friend!"

Ash silently cursed his mouth, now realizing that he said the wrong thing to her. "Serena," he pleaded, ignoring Calem, "I'm really really sorry. It's like I can never say exactly what I'm feeling."

"Ash, I know you're just trying to make me feel better," Serena responded, still keeping her gaze off of him. "I shouldn't have yelled at you just because-"

"No!" Ash interrupted her. "Serena, it's alright! I finally understand!"

This brought the performer's attention straight to the Palletonian. "You understand…?"

Ash nodded and pumped his fist. "I do! I really do!" He paused and laughed, scratching the back of his head. "I-uh… I mean I had help… Who'd have known Bonnie was an expert at this kinda thing…"

Calem rolled his eyes. "Yes, the _five-year old_ definitely explained to you how feelings work," he deadpanned before turning to the honey-blonde behind him. "Yvonne, you're not buying this, are you?"

Serena, however was more enthralled. "So… you understand… what _is_ it that you understand now, Ash?"

"I-uh…" He stammered. "...I understand that saying somethin' is a lot harder than just feelin' it or thinkin' it…" He frowned and crossed his arms. "I uh… Serena, I didn't have a lot of friends in Pallet Town… or uh… _any_ friends. Eheh… But, uh! I had Pokémon! I've been with Pokémon ever since I was really little! And… well, remember when you asked me what I was doing in the forest when I found you that day?"

Serena nodded. "That was… just before we ran into Xavier again."

"I didn't wanna admit it, since I wanted to look… I dunno… cool to you," Ash said, his cheeks turning the faintest shade of red, "but I was in the forest looking for Pokémon since I didn't have any other friends."

"You… didn't have any other friends?" Serena asked, her heart welling up with pity.

Ash sighed and gave a nod. "Before I met Pikachu… I didn't really have any friends at all. Even the guy I knew in my home town wasn't very friendly to me. It wasn't until I left on my journey that I was able to start making friends… I really only knew Pokémon before then so… I guess I only knew how to talk with people like they're Pokémon…"

Serena's heart sank. "Oh, Ash…"

Even Calem found it hard to stay angry. "Well… you had no friends, but I don't see how that makes a difference…" he said, crossing his own arms.

"I grew up a lot by meeting my friends, "Ash explained. "When I met Misty, I didn't really know how to relate to other people. When I met May, I wasn't really good at teaching people the stuff I knew. When I met Dawn, I didn't realize what it'd be like to have someone support me as hard as I supported them. When I met Iris, I didn't think about trying to understand how other people saw me." He exhaled. "Serena, I've had a hard time growing up, and I didn't really understand the differences between people and Pokémon. And I'm sorry, 'cause it's only made me act like a big jerk to you."

"Typical Ash…" Serena placed her hands on her hips, trying to sound disappointed, but she unable to hide the smile on her face. "You just think everyone sees the world the way you do without thinking about how they could see it differently."

"Eheh… y-yeah," Ash said, scratching his nose. "But Serena…" he said, turning more serious, "you gotta believe me. I understand how important you are to me, now."

Calem scowled. "And how important is that?" he asked.

"Serena, when I asked you to join me on my journey," Ash said, ignoring Calem, "I wasn't sure what I was doing. I just knew that I wanted you to travel with me. And we've gone on a ton of adventures since then. We've seen other worlds, seen so many incredible Pokémon, and met so many friends and rivals along the way…" he paused, biting his lip. "Serena, all these adventures have been awesome, and you should know by now that I'm pretty awful with words and expressing myself in any way but a Pokémon Battle, so you really need to listen and try to understand what I'm tryin' to say here."

Serena took a few steps around Calem, her cheeks colored pink as the firelight continues to dance her eyes. "Ash, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm tryin' to say…" he said, his heart pounding in his chest. "...I want you to _keep_ travellin' with me."

"You still don't understand!" Calem shouted, throwing his hands into the air. "You expect her to keep-"

"But I do understand!" Ash fired back, interrupting Calem. "I'm awful at explaining things, but I know that if she goes with you, I'll be heartbroken!" Serena, Calem, and even Pikachu looked at him, mostly in disbelief. "Serena, I'm sorry I'm no good at this stuff, but _I love you!_ I just want you to come back with me! Don't give up on me, please!"

Serena's hands covered her mouth again as she took a few steps closer. "A-Ash… w-what did you say…"

The trainer nodded. "I… I love you," he repeated. "I… I think I've loved you for a long time. I just didn't notice because no one ever really told me that this is how people who're in love act." He smiled gently at her. "I just want to see you happy, Serena. That's all I've wanted for a really long time."

The performer ran her fingers through the ends of her blonde hair. "Ash… are you… are you sure? You're not just saying it…?"

Ash put a hand behind his head before nodding. "Eheh… well, Bonnie was pretty clear about how jealous and possessive I was acting… I'm sorry." He finally looked at Calem. "And I'm sorry I was a jerk to you, too, Calem. I didn't even... realize I felt this way."

Calem raised an eyebrow. "Uh… apology accepted?"

Serena stepped closer. "Ash…" she whispered, her cheeks pink. Then, she bolted towards him at a speed that Ash thought would knock him over. She stopped close to him and threw her arms around his shoulders, causing the trainer to gasp in surprise for a moment. He smiled and very hesitantly put his arms around her as well before squeezing her hard.

"Serena… sorry it took me so long," he whispered back. "I'm… really bad at this sorta thing."

She shook her head against his shoulder. "No, Ash, I'm sorry for overreacting like that… I knew you were focused on your Pokémon and your training, and I didn't want to step in the way of you or your goal, so I just… didn't say anything."

Ash let her go and took a step back. "What're you talkin' about?" he asked, grinning at her. "Having people around me, supportin' me is the _only_ way I can become a Pokémon Master! I've had a lotta help so far, and I know I'll only need more support the closer I get!"

Serena smiled back, tears of joy in her eyes. "R-Right! You're totally right! And I want be by your side, giving you the strength to reach your goal, Ash!"

"Thank you, Serena!" Ash replied. He looked at her before noticing that she was still missing her hat and ribbon. He held the red fedora and blue ribbon (which was still wrapped around his wrist) up to her. "Here… These are yours."

Serena smiled. "Thank you, Ash." She placed the red fedora back on her head before untying the ribbon from Ash's wrist and pulling it back around her collar, tying it back around her, pulling the ends tight over her chest. "There! I feel back to normal now!"

Ash chuckled. "It still looks as great as the day you first put it on," he said, scratching his nose.

Serena blushed and ran her fingers through the ends of her hair. "Thank you, Ash…!"

Pikachu, who had by then already stopped being defensive towards Absol, bounded up on Ash's shoulder. "Pika Pika, Pikapi!"

"Sorry, Pikachu," Ash said, laughing. "I guess even you figured things out before I did, huh?"

The Mouse Pokémon crossed his arms, closing his eyes. "Pikachu!" he said, annoyed.

Serena plucked Pikachu off of Ash's shoulder. "Well, he gets it now, right?" she asked the Electric-Type. "All's well that ends well."

"Pipikachu, Pipika."

At that moment, a cloud of black smoke exploded all around Ash and Serena, choking them and blinding their vision. Ash heard a swooshing noise, and heard the muffled screams of Serena and Pikachu as they quickly grew more distant. The trainer coughed and reached towards the honey-blonde girl who was still holding his beloved partner, but found nothing.

The smoke cleared quickly, and Ash looked up into the trees. Standing before him was something that looked like a giant Chesnaught, but under any scrutiny, appears to be made of metal. The oversized robotic Pokémon had extended two large metal cables out from the spines on it's back, holding Serena and Pikachu in one, and Calem's Absol in another. The cables retracted into the Pokémon's back, pulling the three of them inside. Ash could only gasp at what he was seeing. "Pikachu! Serena!"

"Absol!" Calem cried out, reaching towards his Pokémon. "What's going on?!"

"Nya-ha-ha-ha!"

The top of the robotic Chesnaught's head opened up, and out of it poured a familiar mocking laughter that burned against Ash's ears.

"If you have to ask," said a woman with maroon hair, "then you should prepare for trouble."

"With these love-sick twerps," a man with lavender hair added, "then you should make it double."

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"

"Meowth, dat's right!"

"Wobbuffet!"

Ash clenched his teeth and fists. "Team Rocket?! What're you doin' here?!"

Calem squinted through the dark. "Team Rocket? That's those bad guys you were talking about the other day, right?"

Standing atop the Giant Robotic Chesnaught, Jessie laughed. "I can't believe our luck," she cheered. "Our plan was a complete success!"

"From da brilliant minda Jess!" Meowth chimed in.

James stroked his chin. "When she came up with this plan to split up the twerps, I could only say yes."

Ash frowned. "What're you talkin' about?"

"It's very simple, my dear twerp," James explained, gesturing around him. "After that blast off we received, we came to the concrete conclusion that attempting to tangle with a team of twerps was a tad too tricky for us to tango."

"But while we spied on the fashion twerp," Jessie continued, "we heard that he was gaa-gaa for the twerpette! That gave me the idea of using a little love-triangle to split up your group so we could steal Pikachu from you while you were by yourself."

"I never woulda imagined dat you'd actually feel da warm'n'fuzzies for da twerpette too!" Meowth crowed. "So now we've got da perfect hostage! We've got Pikachu, and your girlfriend!"

"Give them back, right now!" Ash roared, ignoring Meowth's taunting.

A look of horror settled over Calem's face. "Wait… those voices… you three are the ones who gave me that letter!"

James bowed. "You were a huge help for our heinous plan. We'll be taking your Mega Absol, as well, if you don't mind."

"You guys just don't know when to quit!" Ash shouted. He pulled out a Poké Ball and threw it. "Greninja, use Water Shuriken!"

Calem nodded and pulled out his own Poké Ball. "Vaporeon, use Ice Beam!"

The two Water-Types quickly appeared and launched their attacks at Team Rocket. Before they could make contact, however, the terrible trio slipped inside their mecha, and its eyes sprung to life. The Mecha Chesnaught roared and stomped forward, raising an arm and firing missiles from the needles on its arms at Ash and Calem's Pokémon. The two Pokémon quickly lept out of the way of the attack, which caused an explosion of dust that put out Calem's campfire.

"Now now, twerps, wouldn't you hate it if we singed the hair on your cute little twerpette?" Jessie's voice played over a loudspeaker on the robot. The belly of the mecha opened up, showing Serena, Pikachu, and Absol each restrained by the solid-light devices that Team Rocket commonly employed to tie up their targets. All three were being held in the open air.

"Ash!" Serena cried out.

"Pikapi!"

Calem clenched his fists. "You monsters! Let them go! Give me back Absol!"

"Just try us, twerp," the female Rocket taunted. "We'll channel Pikachu's electricity right through the twerpette if you don't play nice."

Ash stepped forward. "Well, then, we won't give you a chance! Greninja, use Cut on those binds!"

The Ninja Pokémon leapt forward, a glowing blade in his grasp.

"Not on my watch ya don't," Meowth yelled. The belly closed up again, once again hiding the Pokémon and Serena from view as Greninja's cut smashed against the steel shell before he leapt backwards. "Jessie might be jealous dat nobody loves her but I just want Pikachu!"

"Why you mangy furball!"

"I'm not gonna risk Pikachu overloadin' da circuits just 'cause you wanna give da twerpette a perm!"

James laughed. "Besides, we have a much better use for that electricity." he pulled a lever inside the mecha. "Firing Electro Pin Missile!"

Inside the mecha, Pikachu screamed out as his electricity as drained through the ring device. The spikes on the front of the Mecha Chesnaught's shell began to spark to life before firing two huge bolts of lightning at Ash and Calem.

The electrical attack struck both Vapoeron and Greninja, launching them backwards, smacking against the ground as they rolled.

"Greninja!" Ash cried out as his Ninja Pokémon pulled itself back to its feet, standing defiantly against Team Rocket's mecha.

"Vaporeon, stay strong!"

Meowth laughed even more. "You're in fer a shock if you try and beat us!"

"Resisting Team Rocket ends up like thus!" Jessie added.

"No muss, no fuss!" James finished.

"Wooobuffet!"

Ash glared at the robot that contained his best friend and the girl he just finally realized he loved. "I've gotta save 'em… I've gotta save 'em…!"

At the same time, Greninja stared at where Team Rocket had been holding them. "Greninja…Greninja..."

Suddenly, a gushing torrent blasted from around Greninja, causing the Pokémon to glow as his head changed shape and appearance, covering himself with the watery veil. Ash could feel himself synchronising with Greninja, their feelings about saving their friends drawing them together. ' _I guess you wanted to save 'em, too.'_

 _'Ninja.'_

Inside the mecha, James looked over at his teammates. "We might have trouble with this next part…"

Jessie waved off his concerns. "Please, what's that overgrown Poliwag going to do to this mechanical marvel?"

"I'm leadin' the offensive!" Meowth responded, moving his levers, which caused the machine to step towards Ash and Calem.

The Kantoese Trainer looked at the fashion designer. "Can you stop 'em from moving? Greninja and I'll cut 'em free!"

Calem nodded. "I've got it." Turning to his Bubble-Jet Pokémon he commanded "Use Ice Beam on that robot's feet!"

Vaporeon opened his mouth and a beam of icy energy shot forth, colliding with one of the mecha's feet, encasing it in thick ice.

Meowth pressed his levers, causing the machine to lurch, but it couldn't break free. "Looks like we're stuck for now."

"If we can't take Pikachu away from them," Jessie said, "then we should just take their Pokémon away from them! James!"

"Yes, ma'am," he responded, hitting a button.

The two spines on the back of the Mecha Chesnaught once again shot off, the metal cables attached as they came flying towards Grenina. Ash saw the spines coming towards him and his Water-Type through Greninja's eyes. Ash leaned forward and said "Jump!", causing Greninja to jump and avoid the cables as they flew past him and stabbed into the ground. Ash reached towards his sides and gripped at them, miming Greninja who did the same before forming both of his Cut blades. "Now, use Cut!"

Greninja came down on both of the metal cables, his glowing blades finding little resistance in them as he sliced them completely through.

Jessie swallowed, a bead of sweat running down her cheek. "Was that supposed to happen?"

"Dat Greninja's power's off the scale…" Meowth muttered.

"Don't just sit there! Shoot it!" Jessie shouted.

"Roger," the Scratch Cat Pokémon replied, hitting the buttons on his own console.

The arm-needle missiles once again fired off, flying in a flurry towards Greninja. Ash saw them coming, but from Greninja's prespective, they seemed slow. "Knock 'em down with Water Shuriken!"

Greninja formed shuriken out of the torrential water that flowed around him, sending Water Shurikens flying towards the missiles, knocking each of them down before they could get close.

"More Electro Pin Missile!"

The front quills once again lit up with electricity before firing the bolts of lightning at Greninja.

Ash held up his arms as if to block, and Greninja held his blades in front of his face, blocking the electric attack. Both Ash and Greninja shuddered as the force of the attack rang through their bodies. Ash could feel the strain that Greninja was being put under from the attack. He clenched his teeth and tried his hardest to endure it.

"Stay strong, Ash!" Calem cried out. "You and Greninja can save them!"

Ash pooled his determination and grunted as the energy continued to build against Greninja's blades. ' _I can't block it forever… this energy has to go somewhere…'_ As he thought it, he realized just where he wanted the attack to go.

Roaring, Ash moved his arms forward, shouting "Now, Greninja!" Greninja moved in synch with his movements, and the frog Pokémon deflected the electric attack, sending the bolt of energy flying into the chest of the Mecha Chesnaught. The entire front canopy burst open, once more revealing Serena and the two Pokémon who were being held within.

"Ash! You're okay!" Serena called out.

"Pikapi!"

"Absol!"

Ash felt like his blood was starting to boil over. "More… MORE!" he shouted loudly.

"Gre… NINJA!"

As the trainer and Pokémon shouted, the water around Greninja began flying away, ceasing to be a veil and turning into something that looked like watery wings as it began to coalesce behind Greninja, taking the shape of a gigantic, four-pointed Water Shuriken strapped to his back. It's red-colored head and black frills were now plainly visible, as were the red zig-zag streaks in the frills.

Serena gasped, seeing the true form of the synchronized Greninja for the second time in her life.

Calem stepped back, eyes wide. " _That's_ what it looks like under that water?!"

"Water-" Ash said, reaching towards his back, grasping at a phantom shuriken as Greninja reached back and grabbed the very real Water Shuriken off his back. "-SHURIKEN!" With the shout of the word, Ash snapped his arm forward, and Greninja did the same, hurling the Water Shuriken through the air at the Mecha's head. The speed of the shuriken made it all but impossible for Team Rocket to track with their eyes, and for a moment, it seemed like the attack had no effect. But the spinning blade of compressed water sliced through the Chesnaught Mecha's neck cleanly, causing the head only to explode.

Tossed out of their mecha by the explosion, Team Rocket sailed into the sky. "That twerpy Greninja sure is quick on the draw!" Jessie fumed.

"It scribbled right through all of our plans to catch Pikachu…" James shrugged.

"You lugs are paintin' me in a corner," Meowth sighed.

"We're blasting off again!" The trio called out as they flew out of view, a familiar 'ping' punctuating their disappearance.

On the ground, as the power in the mecha failed, the solid-light devices holding up Serena and the two captive Pokémon began to fade, causing the performer to begin to fall the ground. As she braced for the impact, she felt two strong arms once again catch her before a still rough landing on the ground. She looked up and she saw Ash there, smiling at her. "Serena…" he whispered. "You're okay…"

Blushing, she smiled and nodded. "Thanks to you, Ash."

Ash looked over at Greninja, who had caught Pikachu, who nodded back to him. "That's gruh-" Ash's eyes glazed over and he fell backwards, his arms going limp as he collapsed under Serena. Greninja flashed with energy, returning to normal, falling forward with Pikachu in his arms. Both trainer and Pokémon were unconscious on the forest floor as Serena scrambled to her feet.

* * *

 **"Alright everyone! Let's go together! Towards the next adventure!"**

"Serena, be with me!"

"B-Be with you?! Y-You mean...?"

"C'mon, let's go!"

"I..."

"Here goes!"

"W-Wait!"

"Next week is the final chapter!"

 **"Next time, Pokémon XY &Z: The ABC's of Love! Opening the Door to the Future!"**

 **"Everyone, go catch'em all!"**

"Oh... _that's_ what you meant."

"That's what I meant."


	13. The Door to the Future!

**Okay, so... I know this is a little late (did you see that oneshot from last week? That explained part of the delay...). I also wanted to make sure that this chapter was up to my standards, and I think this finished product is.**

 **Thank you to FantasyLover88, pokemon fan 1991, DoodleRose, Frostburn243, IadoreAMOUR, Q-A the Authoress, Bluejack222, WolfieCat3, RobSp1derp1g, ultimateCCC, Epicocity, Tuxedo Pearl, justareadersofar, skyblu23, Nexxus176, and .delicious for reviewing since the last time! I really appreciate everyone's support! The final chapter begins now!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13 "The Door to the Future!"**

Serena's eyes flew open, the morning sun finally breaking through and rousing her from her sleep. She lifted her head from her crossed arms as the events of the previous night returned to her mind, and she reminded herself of where she was.

After Ash had collapsed (which itself was after he and Greninja utilized that mysterious power of theirs), she ended up having to enlist Calem's help to carry the trainer back to the Pokémon Center where Clemont and Bonnie were waiting for them. Thankfully, Serena found Greninja's Poké Ball and was able to return the Ninja Pokémon to the inside of it. With the additional help of the inventor, they carried Ash to their room and laid him on the bed. Calem offered to explain the situation to the blonde siblings, allowing Serena to sit by Ash's bedside in case he awoke.

Serena had half a mind to give Calem a slap to the face, or at least a severe dressing down for putting them all in danger like that. But she kept her thoughts and hands to herself, thinking that she and her friends had been duped by Team Rocket on more than one occasion, so she would grant him a pass on this since everything was well.

Of course, she sat by Ash's bed the entire night, watching him rest after the strenuous rescue. She was worried about him, but not as much as she had been in the past (seeing him go through these fainting spells three times now did much to dull her heartache over it), and so she simply waited for his brown eyes to once again open. Judging by the sunlight filtering through the window, it seems that he had been asleep all night.

Looking around the room, it seemed that Clemont and Bonnie were either already awake, or they had not entered the room since they left the night before, perhaps to give them privacy.

It was then that Serena realized that Ash wasn't in the bed, either. Pikachu, whom had been resting on Ash's chest, was also gone. She sat up and began looking around the room. "Ash?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern.

"Serena." It was calm. Soothing, even. Serena looked behind her and at the doorway, where Ash was leaning, arms crossed, against the closed door. He looked perfectly fine, but Serena frowned when she noticed that he was alone.

"Where's Pikachu?" she asked, looking at his empty shoulder.

Ash laughed as he stepped closer. "He's actually gettin' breakfast right now. I actually got up a little while ago, but I uh…" He paused, scratching his cheek. "I… didn't wanna wake you. So I let you rest, but Clemont said breakfast is ready in the cafeteria and I didn't want you to miss it… but I guess you looked really peaceful sleepin' there so… I still didn't wake you."

Serena giggled. "Ash Ketchum missing breakfast? Maybe I'm still dreaming!"

Ash scoffed as he walked over and sat on the bed. "I'm not missin' it, I'm just… somewhere more important for now." He looked away and pulled on the bill of his hat. "...I'm with you."

Serena blushed at his words as she sat next to him. "Thank you for saving me, Ash," she said. "Last night was pretty crazy, wasn't it?"

Ash nodded, chuckling a bit. "To be honest, everything after Greninja and I synchronized is kinda a blur. When I told Clemont that, he said it's probably 'cause I passed out shortly after that."

She inched closer to him. "But you remember the rest of last night, right? I-Including what you said…?"

He looked at her and flashed a bright grin. "Of course I do! Serena, there's a reason _I'm_ the one who came here to get you and not Clemont or Bonnie. I wanted to talk about it. Just us."

Serena's face flushed even more. "N-Now I'm sure I'm dreaming…"

Ash put a hand on her shoulder. "Serena… I'm listening to you, one-hundred percent. And I want you to know that I uh-" he coughed, his own face flushing slightly as he unfamiliar words found their way to his mouth again. "I-uh… I love you."

Serena's eyes watered as she looked back at him. She placed a hand on top of the one Ash put on her shoulder. "I...love you, too, Ash."

The face of the Kantoese trainer lit up with happiness as she said it. He laughed. "That's great. This is awesome!" He grinned excitedly. "I'm so psyched. I don't think this's ever happened before!"

"You mean, you've never felt this way about anyone else?" Serena asked, a grin growing on her own face.

"Well, yeah!" he blithely responded, grinning ear to ear. "Just hearin' it from you just makes me really happy!"

Serena giggled. "Even when you're in love, you're still Ash. That's not exactly the response I'd expect, normally." But she looked at him. "But that's the Ash I fell in love with."

"Sorry, sorry," he said, laughing. "I'm probably not gonna be the world's greatest boyfriend or anything. I'm still kinda learning a lot about this stuff."

At the mention of 'boyfriend', Serena's face flushed entirely red. "B-B-boyfriend? But I… but we haven't talked about that…"

Ash raised an eyebrow. "But I said I love you, and you said you love me," he said with an indifferent shrug. "Doesn't that make us boyfriend and girlfriend?"

Serena could feel the steam rising from her face. "W-Well, n-no, not technically," she babbled. "I mean, we should be in love before we decide to go out like that but unless we agree then we're not officially boyfriend and girlfriend so I guess we need to make it official?"

Ash nodded sagely at her rambling. "I see… how do we do that?"

Serena sighed. "I… I guess we just say so?"

"Great!" Ash said, pumping a fist. "I'm your boyfriend, then!"

Serena fell backwards on the bed, laughing. "Ash, that's… you're…" she looked over at him and smiled. "Thank you, Ash. I'm… really happy to be your girlfriend."

Ash grinned and stood up. "Awesome! Then that's that! You're my girlfriend!"

Serena giggled, standing up. "I guess so, _boyfriend_ ," she said, enunciating the word. The new couple shared a laugh together before Serena looked at Ash again. "So… what now?"

Ash pumped his fist. "Isn't it obvious? We're gonna keep heading towards our dreams together! I'm gonna be a Pokémon Master, and you're gonna be Kalos Queen!"

Serena gasped as the words of Palermo returned to her. _"Press forward until you are satisfied with yourself. And once you're satisfied, call me."_ "Um, Ash…?" She started, hesitantly. "There's… one more thing you should know."

Ash blinked. "What's up, Serena?"

The performer walked over to her backpack and began digging through it. "When I lost the Master Class to Aria… I was visited by Palermo."

The trainer furrowed his brow, digging through his memory to bring up the image of the grey-haired woman. "That's the ex-Kalos Queen that was at the Master Class, right?"

Serena nodded. "After I had lost, I told her that I understood why, and she said that she would train me to be a great performer… that with her help, I could be Kalos Queen one day."

Ash looked at her, his mind suddenly racing. "But… Serena, it's been weeks since the Master Class. How come you never told us…?" His stomach suddenly felt upset, like he had eaten a bad sandwich. "Were you just gonna keep this to yourself?"

Serena stood up, pulling the card Palermo gave her out of her bag, showing it to Ash. "Well… I guess I wasn't sure what I was going to do after the Kalos League ended. We don't know where you're going after that, and until yesterday, I wasn't even sure there would be a place for me at your side after the League…" She smiled at him. "But I guess everything's changed now. Now I have to wonder about if I'll have to choose between being by your side, or pursuing my dream."

Ash frowned, thinking for a moment. "...why did you lose the Master Class?" His mind was already starting to work ahead, but he needed this information, first.

Serena sat back down on the bed, Ash's eyes following her as she did. "Well… Aria's got an amazing gift. She can make people smile and give them strength…" she stared ahead, her eyes gazing into her memory as she revisited the end of the Master Class in Gloire City. "...as much fun as I had performing, and as great a Performer I've become on our journey… I haven't been able to do that. That's why Aria's performance captivated the crowd, and that's why I lost."

Ash sat down on the bed next to her, his frown growing. "But, Serena… you give me strength all the time. You make me smile and wanna try my best, no matter what. Even just eating a Poké Puff makes me stronger!"

Serena looked at him, her thoughts still hazy with contemplation. "Thank you, Ash, but… I still lost to her."

Ash chuckled. "Well… I guess the _whole crowd_ can't be me…" Part of him wondered if a group of Double-Team duplicates would count.

"I mean…" she said, fidgeting, "I'm glad to hear that I've been such a great help to you, but I still have a lot to learn about being a performer. I still want to be Kalos Queen one day… to keep putting on amazing performances and to bring joy and happiness to everyone who sees them. And… if that means I need to follow Palermo… then…"

Ash nodded. Despite his feelings for the girl, he understood that inner need to follow your dreams. "Well… I mean…" he started as the words fell into place in his mind. "...Look, Serena. Do you know what's going to happen tomorrow?"

Serena looked at him. "No. What?"

"Exactly," he said. "Will Team Rocket come back? Maybe we'll see another Legendary Pokémon? Or maybe it'll just be a quiet day. Or maybe I'll see Iris! Who knows!" he emphasized the final words by gesturing an explosion. "But all we can keep doing is keep moving, and we'll figure it out along the way! You don't go into a battle thinking about how you're gonna lose, you go in thinking about how you're gonna win!"

"But Ash-"

Ash looked right into her eyes, his gaze intense and firm. "Serena, I know what you're thinking. 'What about after the Kalos League?' But if you're always worried about what's gonna happen, you can't enjoy things that are in front of you! I mean, you love me right?"

Serena's cheeks lit up again. "Y-Yeah, I do."

Ash grinned widely. "And I love you, too! And we'll figure it out together, no matter what happens, okay? After all, we never give up-"

"-until the end!" Serena stood up as she spoke, clenching her fists. "You're right! I don't know why I'm getting so antsy! I should be ecstatic and happy!" With those words, she turned and threw her arms around Ash as she jumped into him, knocking him on his back on the bed as she hugged him tightly. "I… I had always hoped… but Ash, I just always thought you were too focused on other things…"

"Sorry," he said, hugging her back. "I mean… after Bonnie helped, it was so obvious to me but… I guess I just had to change the way I saw things."

Serena laughed, rolling over and pulling Ash with her so that she was on her back now. "It's pretty unbelievable that Bonnie helped. What did she say?"

Ash stood up, his arms loosening until he gripped Serena's hand in his own, pulling her up with him. "It's a long story, and to be honest, I'm still hungry and breakfast is waiting for us out there. So how about we do this over food?"

Serena smiled at him, squeezing his hand. "Sounds good! Let's go!"

Hand-in-hand, the newly minted couple left the room.

* * *

"Snowbelle City, of course!"

"Pika, Pikachu!"

After breakfast, our four heroes were sitting in the lobby of the Pokémon Center, trying to decide their next move. Ash, never one to stand still, blurted out the first thing on his mind for this matter, a desire to keep moving. Pikachu, of course, agreed wholeheartedly from Ash's shoulder.

Clemont frowned. "Maybe, but I'd like to collect more data on you and Greninja before we put you in something as high-stakes as a Gym Battle…" he said.

Kicking her feet, Bonnie suggested "Why don't we do some battles here at the Pokémon Center? I mean, Greninja changed against Calem…"

A coughing drew the attention of the four travellers to the red capped clothing designer they had met a few days ago. Calem stood there, half shrugging. Serena briefly wondered if Bonnie summoned him by saying his name. "So, you guys are getting ready to leave?"

A mess of "Yes" and "No" and "We don't know yet" all came out at once from the four of the, each in different places mentally. Serena decided to speak up. "We're uh… still ironing out the details…"

Her childhood friend nodded. "I hear you. I'm heading out now, though. I can't enter the Kalos League with only six badges."

Hearing the word 'badges' immediately made Ash excited. "So you're heading to the next Gym? That was… uh…"

"Santalune," Serena filled in the gap in his knowledge. "Viola, remember?"

"Oh, right…" Ash said. "Her Pokémon were really something else…" he said, his thoughts trailing off.

Calem flipped his hair, an air of self-confidence briefly blowing past. "Well, I did _nearly_ beat Ash, so I don't think a Gym Leader like that will get the better of me."

Serena laughed a little. "Don't be reckless, though. She's tough, so you better go for broke!"

"Don't worry, I'll try my best," Calem said, laughing before turning his attention back to Ash. Sensing that Calem had a little bit more to say to him, Ash rose and turned to face him, with Serena close behind. Calem's grey eyes glinted in the light. "Ash… take good care of Yvonne. Even though she loves you, if you hurt her, I'll make sure winning the Kalos League will be the least of your problems."

Ash laughed. "Thanks, Calem," he said. "I'm pretty sure Serena and I'll keep each other outta trouble, though." He extended a hand towards the trainer from Vaniville Town. "I look forward to seeing you in the Kalos League."

Calem took Ash's hand and shook it. "Same here. Hopefully we'll get a rematch. I know that Absol and I won't give up that easily."

Ash grinned. "And neither will we."

Calem released Ash's hand and extended his hand to Serena. "I'm sorry about everything," he said. "If it means anything, I'm glad you're happy… Serena."

The performer smiled at him. "You know… you can keep calling me Yvonne if you want. Even after everything… I'd still like to be friends, Calem."

Calem adjusted his hat shyly, the faintest tinge of color on his cheeks. "Well… we can be friends. I mean, we _were_ the Inseparable XY."

Serena didn't shake his hand, but instead offered him her fist. Calem nodded, and with a cheeky grin, bumped his fist against the sides her of her's, once again doing the secret handshake they had shared when they met up.

And with that, Calem gave them all a wave and departed the Pokémon Center, walking down the road. He nodded along to himself as he walked, thinking about everything. "...even if she _is_ his girlfriend, when she becomes Kalos Queen, I want her to wear the dress I design… _that_ would be a dream come true…"

Calem walked down the road, hoping to make good time towards Santalune City before nightfall.

* * *

In the end, the vote was too close to call.

Ash wanted to hurry, Clemont wanted to slow down, and Serena and Bonnie abstained, even from the boys in their lives. So Ash eventually acquiesced and just battled travelling trainers that came, to the Pokémon Center that day. Of course, Serena spent most of the day cheering Ash on, and Ash made a point to show off when he had a chance (mostly with Hawlucha, whose style matched that part of Ash's style, himself). Clemont, seeing that the strange transformation between Ash and Greninja wouldn't be happening today, went inside and began preparing his next invention, while Bonnie ended up chasing Chespin and Pancham around the Pokémon Center that day.

It almost seemed like it was happening too fast, but in the blink of an eye, it was nightfall again.

Ash and Serena stood outside, near the battlefield, Serena leaning on the railing, with Ash standing a close distance behind her. The moon was brightly overhead and the sky was clear. The performer took off her fedora and set it on the railing, gazing upwards.

Ash stared at her, perplexed. "Uh… what're you looking at?"

"I guess I'm looking at how beautiful the moon looks," she said. "Up here in the mountains, there's nothing blocking the sky, so we can see everything."

Ash nodded. "Yeah… I've been in the mountains more than a few times, but it's always really awesome to see how wide the sky really is, you know?"

Serena turned to him. "Hey, Ash? Do you remember that dance party we went to?"

Ash blinked, even more confused than before. "Yeah? What about it?"

Serena blushed and started pressing her index fingers together. "Well, I was too shy to say so then, but I really wanted to dance with you… It's a shame we didn't have a chance."

Ash sighed and shrugged. "Well, yeah, that is a shame, huh?"

"W-Well, you see…" Serena stuttered, looking away. "I was wondering… if you wouldn't mind… maybe we could… if it's not a problem… if you'd like to dance with me?"

Ash suddenly felt his empty shoulder, realizing that Pikachu was inside, probably far away from the stress the trainer was now finding himself under. "S-Serena, you know I'm not that good at dancing, remember…?"

"Pretty please?" She asked, pressing her hands together and bowing her head. "After everything that's happened, I'd just like to have a moment for just… us. Like the one we had this morning."

Sighing, but showing a smile, Ash relented. "Alright, alright. You don't have to ask me twice."

Stepping closer, Serena curtseyed. Ash gave her an awkward bow in response. Giggling, Serena took his hands and smiled at him. "Are you ready?"

Ash gave a tentative nod. "Yeah…"

With that Serena took a step forward, one Ash awkwardly fumbled. Serena took another step to the side, and Ash nearly tripped over his feet as they stepped. "Ash," Serena said, her tone accusatory, "what's wrong?"

Ash didn't meet her eyes. He kept looking down, something in his face and steps unsure.

"Ash?"

"H-Hold on!" He stammered, looking down, clenching his teeth. "I'm trying to get it."

Serena giggled at him. "Ash, you're trying way too hard. You don't have to impress me." She put her hand on his chin and tilted his head up.

Ash stared back into her blue eyes, the moonlight reflecting off of them. "Too hard?"

"Just let it come, okay?" She said. "Relax. Take it one step at a time until you get the hang of it."

Gently she took another step, back this time. Ash followed, somewhat naturally at first, but as Serena continued to step with him in a simple dance, Ash found the steps flowing out of him.

"Just let it come… Relax…"

He repeated the words like a mantra in themselves, letting his mind go blank and his instincts take over.

Serena could only look back into his brown eyes and feel her heart melt. When Ash wasn't trying to show off or acting thoughtlessly, he could be really sweet and smooth, like the chocolate his eyes always reminded her of. Seeing the smile creep onto his face was a reward itself.

Ash, for his part, was totally relaxed, letting his body flow through the movements, his mind instead processing the sensations of Serena's soft skin under his fingertips, or that fresh, strawberries-dipped-in-honey way that her hair smelled this close, or how clear and calming her eyes were. Serena was a delight to each of his senses, this close to him. He wondered, as well, if Serena thought the same thing.

Serena laid her head on Ash's shoulder as they continued to slowly dance together. Ash always smelled like a forest in summer when he was this close, and Serena closed her eyes and was taken back to the day they met, images of bygone days and weeks and adventures all flowing behind her eyes. Ash had done so much for her, raised her up so high, given her so much support, compassion... _love_.

It was a dance that transcended the moment in time they found themselves in. A dance that neither wanted to end.

Eventually, however, Ash let out a yawn, indicating that he was tired. "Sorry…" he whispered back. "...can we dance just a bit longer?"

Serena nuzzled against his shoulder. "...of course," she whispered to him. "Just a little longer."

Ash smiled at her, seeing himself reflected in her eyes. And so did Serena see herself in his. The young couple had each other in their focus, the rest of the world fading away in that moment.

Serena's heart skipped, and she leaned in, pressing her lips against his.

Ash's eyes widened, taken by surprise. He didn't know what was happening or what to expect, but when it happened, it wasn't an unwelcome sensation. Serena's lips were soft, and they tasted a little sweet (probably from the dessert she had made for the group herself), but mostly Ash felt their warmth flowing into him. It made his skin tingle, and every bit of him felt warm. His hands instinctively moved to Serena's upper arms, and held her there as he tried to return the feeling.

Serena's face was flushed red, her boldness even taking her by surprise. But the biggest surprise was Ash's response. His natural warmth poured through his lips into Serena, and her legs began to feel weak, her heart pounding in her chest. Her own grip on him tightened for a moment before the kiss was broken.

Both of them put a finger to their lips, feeling the lingering warmth of the other there. They looked at each other again, the smiles evident even in their eyes. "I…"

Ash took Serena's hand. "...we should be getting inside… but I…" With his free hand, he scratched his nose. "...we should do this again sometime, alright?"

Serena nodded happily and pulled him by the hand back into the Pokémon Center.

* * *

"SCII-ZOR!"

The Pincer Pokémon lunged forward.

"Alright, Greninja, use Double Team!"

On command, Ash's Pokémon did just that, surrounding Scizor with a ring of illusory doubles.

The trainer facing Ash in this morning's battle remained calm. "Don't stop! Use Bullet Punch!"

Scizor nodded in reply, and with a glowing claw, began punching through the Greninja, one disappearing after another.

But before he could take out all of them, Ash raised his hand in the air. "Alright, Aerial Ace!"

Greninja brought one of his webbed feet onto Scizor, knocking it to the ground, and the battle was over.

"Way to go!" Bonnie cheered from the sidelines, Dedenne chirping alongside her.

The opposing trainer ran to check on his Pokémon, and getting word from Scizor that it was well, returned it to his Poké Ball. "Your Greninja sure is strong!" he gushed. "Awesome moves! Fast _and_ powerful!"

Ash gave his opponent a bow. "Thank you very much."

"Nin."

Of course, one young man already knew about Greninja's strength as he watched Clemont rush over to the trainer from Pallet. "Great work, Ash!" Clemont said, not shy with his praise. "What a great battle to have before your Snowbelle Gym Battle!"

"Yeah!" Ash said, looking pretty pumped and happy as Pikachu leapt to his shoulder.

Serena, the girl travelling with them, seemed even more excited than usual. "Ash, I _know_ you're going to win your Gym Battle!"

"Thanks!" Ash said, leaning closer to her. "That'll be my eighth Kalos Gym Badge."

"Pikapika!"

The observer called out to them, trying to grab the group's collective attention.

As all four of them turned to look, the green haired boy shot them all a smile. "Hey there! It's been a while! How's it going, everyone?"

Ash grinned widely. "Hey, it's Sawyer!"

Ash and his friends ran to greet the young trainer they had encountered during their journey… and so, even after the road they had to take was changed drastically by a mere bridge collapse, the journey our heroes find themselves on will continue and continue…

 **THE END**

* * *

 **Pokémon XY &Z: The ABC's of Love was brought to you by:**

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